Waxing Crescent
by x Such Great Heights x
Summary: [Complete] Set during New Moon: What if Bella really had been dreaming about the return of Edward and Alice and going to Italy? What if Jacob had been there to go cliff diving with Bella? How would it alter her life?
1. Chapter 1

Waxing Crescent

Summary: (Set During New Moon) What if Bella really had been dreaming about the return of Edward and Alice and going to Italy? How would it alter her life?

**Authors Note: So this is an idea that I thought of when I was re-reading New Moon. In chapter 23 of New Moon, Bella thinks she's dreaming, so I was like: What if she really was dreaming? So this is where this story came from. I hope that you like it and don't worry this is a Edward x Bella story, he's going to come sooner or later! Enjoy!**

**Co-writer: Summer's Sun**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

**Update, please take poll! So I was going to update again and I acidentally deleted the second chapter, so I deicded that I wanted a poll to decide what I should do. I thought that readers should get involved in the decision.**

Do you want this to be (blank) type of story:

A. Edward x Bella

B. Bella x Jacob

C: Bella x Mike

D. A little mix of all, but mainly Edward x Bella

E. A little mix of all, but mainly Bella x Jacob

F. A little mix of all, but mainly Bella x Mike

G. Bella x OC

H. Bella x (Place name here)

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_Chapter 1_

The delusions were too much for me. It seemed that Edward was right next to me, but when I fell back against the bed and closed my eyes, hoping that the dream would be over… it was. I sighed unhappily and sat up, looking for a reason for all my dreams. It was a nightmare turned into a dream then turned into a nightmare once more. I sat up and stared more unhappy then ever at the mirror across my room. I moved my legs out of my bed and sighed. When would the dreams end?!

"Bella!" A familiar voice called and I heard footsteps running up the stairs. I looked towards the door as Jacob crashed into the room. I laughed as I realized that he was probably coming over to take me to Sam and Emily's house. He hugged me tightly and looked down to my attire. "Maybe you should get dressed before we go." I nodded as he made his way out of my room and I slipped into my clothing. Everything had seemed so real. It had been so real that I could remember every detail of it. Edward was there and Alice was also, but I knew that it was too good to be true and I shouldn't be thinking of it. It was nothing now; it was a nightmare, a horrible nightmare that would taunt me for the rest of my life. Which wasn't that long.

"I'm better now." I said firmly as I walked out of my room door. Jacob smiled as he pushed off the wall he had been leaning against. "Where are we headed?"

"Well, I did promise you that we would go cliff diving, didn't I? We were going to have _fun_." Jacob said quickly and I smiled as I followed him out of the house. It was true that my best friend was Jacob and it would probably develop into something more the way that this was going. "Charlie said that he would be back soon. He's going out into the woods again." He commented as we slid into his car.

I shivered. "He'll be alright, won't he Jacob… Sam and the others won't kill him will they? Oh god." I moaned at the thought of Charlie getting hurt. It was almost as horrible to bear as Edward leaving me. Wrong thing to think about… "Jacob, are you listening to me?" I hissed and he nodded.

"Nothing will happen to him Bella, you worry too much."

I sunk back into the seat of Jacob's car and tried to calm myself. I did think too much for my own good. It was hard not too when I was left alone with my thoughts. That's what scared me the most, being alone with my thoughts wandering. "Alright," I sighed, I could no longer fight this. "After we go cliff diving, we're going to Sam and Emily's place, aren't we?"

"Uh-huh, it's the only place to keep you safe." Jacob agreed as we pulled p towards the cliff. I wasn't so sure anymore. The day was nice and Jacob would keep me safe, but mostly I had been afraid of cliffs since I was little. Jacob grabbed my hand as he helped me out of the car and we walked towards the cliff's edge. "You are _not _jumping off from here Bella," he assured me. "It's way too dangerous."

I swallowed nervously. It was very steep from here, the dream had been clear that I would jump off from this edge alone, but I should just know that it was a dream. I was too nervous to actually jump from this height. I was probably crazy in my dream. Jacob led me towards the lower level, carefully placing me down on the rock jetting out of the ledge. I looked down – maybe not the smartest thing to do, but I just did. "Is this really safe Jake?" I questioned and he nodded eagerly.

"If you're scared Bella, then we won't do this."

I looked down at the waves and the ocean and then breathed in deeply. I had to do this, even if I was scared – it looked kind of fun. I looked at the waves and then back at Jacob. "Don't worry, I'm not scared. I want to do this." I said and he flashed me a smile. "I'm ready, what do I do?" I asked just as eager as he had been.

"Okay, so take a deep breath." I did what I was told. "Then you're just going to jump and you'll land in the water. If anything happens, I'll be in there to help you, okay Bella?" I nodded and I moved slowly towards the edge.

"_What are you doing Bella?" _The warm voice surfaced in my mind and forced its way through everything so that I could hear it. It was like looking up at the sky and seeing the sun peeking through the clouds on a rainy day. I looked down at the water and then back at Jacob who was smiling at me, urging me to go because it would be fun. I looked down at the water and then smiled, breathing in the air, anything to hear the wonderful voice again.

"Don't be scared." Jacob cooed.

"I'm not." I answered and took one leap that sent me over the edge. I was falling and it felt weird to finally let myself fall. I would never admit that the pain was breaking through every hole that I tried to plug up, but now it was free to go where-ever it wanted. I was flying through the air and I felt myself screaming, the wind blowing through my hair as I finally felt the contact with the water. The water felt good on my skin. I looked up as I saw Jacob smiling even from the distance. He jumped in after me, but it didn't take him long to finally hit the surface of the water. We both laughed as we pulled ourselves out of the water and back onto the beach. We went cliff diving for a little longer before we finally settled down on the beach. The voice never returned, although I did try to do something reckless and stupid. I guess I was in no danger while Jacob was there. "That was fun." I stated as Jacob wrapped a jacket around my shoulder. His hands were warm.

"You wanna do it again?" Jacob questioned eagerly and I shrugged.

"Maybe someday, but not right now. I just feel like resting now. It took a lot out of me." I stated again and Jacob laughed, wrapping an arm tightly around my shoulder. I did love Jacob, but only as a friend. I wondered how I could show him that. My heart – my heart was with Edward, it was with the Cullen family and nothing could really change that. "What do we plan to do the rest of the day?"

Jacob thought for a couple of seconds. "Well, you already found that meadow of yours and I don't really want you venturing out into the forest when Victoria is still around, I say we go to Sam and Emily's. You'll be safe there, is that alright?"

I nodded, it was fine to go and see Emily. She was nice – Sam, I was still getting used too, but Emily was definitely somebody who I could relate too. Even through her ruined features, she was beautiful and I envied her. We made our way towards Jacob car, I was glad for the inside of his car, the warmth was amazing. He wrapped an arm around my torso as we drove towards Sam and Emily's place. Emily was outside of the small cottage, managing her flowers. She looked up as we drove into the driveway. She smiled as I opened the door and captured me into a hug. "I am so glad that you're here! I was worried about you." She said quickly and I smiled hugging her back.

"Sorry to worry you, Jake took me cliff diving." I chuckled as Emily joined in with me.

"Sam wanted to take me once, but I was much too scared." She smiled fondly at the memory. "I would go now, but Sam says that it's too dangerous for me. He changed his mind too often."

"He does?" I questioned and she nodded. "Well that sounds like somebody I know." I looked over at Jacob as we walked into the house together. I sniffed the air, used to something cooking in Emily's place before. She walked over to the oven and grabbed the bread out of it. She cut a slice, letting the steam release from the bread. "Hey where are Embry, Paul, Jared, and Sam anyways?" I asked and Emily smiled slightly.

"They're actually out looking for Victoria. Jacob was supposed to go with them, but he decided to take you to do something that would take your mind off of everything. It was for the best." She said lightly and I nodded, the thoughts weren't really going through my head. I smiled and listened as Emily told me a story from the earlier days of her life. I laughed at the right times and I felt my spirits lift as she told me about her high-school years. She said that she had known the Cullens before her graduation, but now it was a blur. I stiffened as she said that it was for the best that they were gone. Jacob sat next to me, saying nothing. Emily finally stopped and looked over to Jacob. "Jake, is something wrong?"

He shrugged. "I don't think so, but I'm getting something from Sam, I think that they're seen Victoria."

I gasped suddenly, fear finding its way down my back. I sat there speechless as Jacob stayed where he was. I was about to ask him something when Emily walked over and placed plates before us. I sucked in a breath. "Shouldn't you go with them Jake?" I asked politely.

"No, I have to say here with you Bella," he smiled at me reassuringly. "Sam and the rest of them can handle it. I'm here to protect you and Emily."

Emily waved a hand at him as she brought over a couple glasses and filled them. She grabbed a steaming cup of team and sat down next to us. "I'm nobody to protect Jake; you should be mainly thinking about Bella, she is the one that is in danger."

"Sam would kill me if I let anything happen to you though." Jacob pointed out and Emily rolled her eyes, but I saw a smile on her face. Suddenly I felt out of place, for my love had been stolen from me. It was not something I liked to think about, unless I was forced too. I looked at Emily as she talked quietly to Jacob as I gripped the cup in front of me. The nightmare last night had seemed so real that I could feel Alice and Edward with me everywhere I went. But I knew that it was only a dream – for if it was real, then Jacob would probably not be talking to me and hanging around me. _It was just a dream_. I reminded myself. "Bella, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I think I need some fresh air though—"

"You know that you shouldn't go outside." Jacob growled and I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I shouldn't go outside while Victoria was still on the loose. He was right, but I needed the fresh air, the will to do something was building up inside of me, making me anxious.

I looked at him, my eyes blank. "Just for a minute, I promise nothing will happen."

"I'm coming with you." Jacob stood up and looked over at Emily who was smiling. "You want to come with us also Emily?"

"No—no, that's alright, I will be fine here. Nothing has harmed me here in _years_. Don't worry about it; I know that you guys will just be outside. I'm worried about you two actually. Bella, are you sure that you want to go outside, I don't know how safe it could be…" She trailed off, but I still nodded. "Alright, but come back soon and don't stray too far."

I nodded, thanking her for her kindness before we made our way out of the small cottage. I sighed as I breathed in the fresh air, my thoughts were too overwhelming. I couldn't really think straight anymore and it felt good being out here without having to think really. I leaned against a tree that was only a couple of feet away from the cottage. Jacob was by my side. "I'm sorry about this." I mumbled to him as I felt his arm come around my waist, hugging me tightly to his side.

"It's okay, I just don't want anything to happen to you Bella, you have no idea what that would do to me." He said sadly and I nodded, knowing what he meant. It was the same thing for me when Edward left. Pain fell into my stomach and I knew I had made the wrong comparison. My thoughts scared me and I could _never _be trusted on staying with my thoughts. They made me do crazy things. Jacob tensed swiftly as I realized that there was something coming out of the woods. He pulled me towards the house, pulling me so that I was behind his back protected.

"Whoa, don't be scared, it's only me." A familiar voice called to us.

_End of Chapter 1_

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**Authors Note: So did you guys like it? A little different, but I wanted to see what was going on and I thought of this idea. So I hope that you liked it! Thanks for reading!**

**Review... perhaps?**


	2. Chapter 2

Waxing Crescent

Summary: (Set during New Moon) What if Bella really had been dreaming about the return of Edward and Alice and going to Italy? What if Jacob had been there to go cliff diving with Bella? How would it alter her life?

**Authors Note: Thank you so much for all the reviews! I really appreciate them and I'm so glad that you enjoyed the first chapter! This is a little longer chapter, because I thought that you guys deserved it! The poll is still open! I'm still deciding what I should do – I got many different answers, so I'm still deciding! Thanks so much for all the reviews again, enjoy!**

**Co-writer: Summer's Sun**

**Disclaimer: We do not own anything.**

Do you want this to be a (blank) type of story:

A. Bella x Edward

B. Bella x Jacob

C. Bella x Mike

D. A little mix of all, but mainly Bella x Edward

E. A little mix of all, but mainly Bella x Jacob

F. A little mix of all, but mainly Bella x Mike

G. Bella x OC

H. Bella x (Place name here)

I. Other (Tell pairing please!)

* * *

_Chapter 2_

"Whoa, don't be scared, it's only me." A familiar voice called to us. The voice stepped out of the shadows and I noticed that it was just Mike Newton. I sighed in relief, but Jacob didn't back off. Mike looked slightly frightened by Jacob's stance.

I pushed lightly on Jacob's back. "Jake, its okay. It's only Mike." He moved in a second and released me from the hold behind his back. I moved towards Mike and hugged him lightly. I wondered what the hell was he doing in the woods. It was weird for one thing for him to be so far out here. I pulled back from him and retreated to Jacob's side. I looked at Mike and tried to smile. "What are you doing out here Mike?"

"I was actually looking for you." Mike admitted sheepishly. "It was sort of an impulse thing; I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. I knew how clumsy you could be and all; I just thought that something might have happened to you. I'm glad that you're okay though." Mike explained and I nodded, my thoughts were going wild.

"How did you find us?"

"I actually called your father who told me to call Jacob's father, Billy. He said that I would find you guys down here – but it didn't sound like he really wanted me to come down here. It was quite strange. Well," he tried to finish his rant. "I see that you're fine and hopefully Jacob can protect you?" Jacob nodded, his eyes starring at Mike – glaring at him. "I'll see you at work Bella." _If I come to work._ I thought suddenly as I watched Mike walk off towards the distance. He knew nothing and for that, it meant nothing to me. It was peculiar that Mike would come out this far to see if I was okay – it was different, definitely different.

"I don't know why he came," Jacob snarled. "He _knew_ that I was with you. He only did that because he wanted to be the hero."

I moved towards Jacob and grabbed his arm with my hand. I pulled him towards the house and pulled him inside. "It doesn't matter Jake, it's not like it's important. Mike was probably just worried when he found out that I wasn't home. I was not offended by his comment; everybody knows that I'm clumsy." Edward especially knew how clumsy I was.I didn't dare say that out loud.

"You look kind of offended." Jacob pointed out and I smiled weakly.

"It's okay Jake, I don't really care. It's not like that is the first time I've heard that I'm clumsy. I'm the only person in this whole wide world that is a danger-magnet." I offered and Jacob slightly smiled. "Okay, I won't go outside anymore, it that makes you happy."

"It would be better if you didn't." He thought for a second. "But if you really wanted too for a little while… then I guess that it wouldn't be that bad. But promise me Bella, that you won't do anything _too_ stupid. I don't want you to going out in the woods alone, you know what could happen if Victoria saw and sensed that you were alone…" He trailed off and I nodded, I did know. I did not that she would probably go and kill me. It wasn't the first time I heard a saying like that.

"_Bella?" he asked in a different tone – serious but hesitant._

"_Yes?" I turned back to him too eagerly._

"_Will you promise me something?"_

"_Yes," I said, and instantly regretted my unconditional agreement. What if he asked me to stay away from him? I couldn't keep that promise._

"_Don't go into the woods alone."_

I shifted my position in my seat as I stared across the table at Jacob and Emily. They were talking in low voices; I wasn't really paying any attention to either of them or listening to anything they were saying to each other. I was too busy thinking back on the half year before all of this. Before he left, before the whole family left, before I was heart-broken, and before I met Jacob and Sam and the rest of the gang. My heart was full then and now it was just broken. I sat there starring wondering what I should do next. What would my next move be? What would Victoria's next move be? It was hard to predict since I couldn't see into the future or read people's minds. Why did he leave me? Why? Was it something I did? Something I said? Was it just me?

"Bella, you look pale." Emily mused and I looked at her, my eyes blank, still lost in the memories. Was I going to do something stupid and reckless and risk my friendship to Jacob and welcome _his_ voice once more? What _was_ I going to do? I sat there, starring ahead of me, still lost. "Bella, are you alright?" Emily questioned again and suddenly, I snapped out of my trance.

"Oh—oh, sorry about that, I was just thinking." I shrugged and tried to smile. "I guess I was just lost in my thoughts." More like _memories_, but she did not need to know all the details of my every thought. Emily smiled and looked towards the door. I didn't see anything there, but Jacob was also starring at the door. I looked there, puzzled at what they were looking at. Embarrassed at how I couldn't see anything and yet Emily could, I sunk down in my seat. Great, Emily was so much better then me. I envied her more then ever now. I looked up as I heard footsteps and realized that _they_ were home.

Sam stepped into the room, starring at all of us until he saw Emily. He moved forward and kissed her ruined lips. I knew what had happened to Emily and suddenly I realized that I could be in the same danger with Jacob if he suddenly lost his temper. Embry, Paul, and Jared followed in after Sam, falling down at the table. Jacob looked at them and smiled. Why was _I_ the only one who couldn't understand anything they could do? "Did you find anything?" I finally asked and Sam shook his head.

"There was nothing, Victoria is making it seem like she isn't even here anymore." Sam explained and I nodded, sipping from the cup in front of me. I glanced over at Jacob and sighed. When was this going to end? When would all the delusions end? When would I finally be at peace?

"I don't think that you should be worried though Bella." Paul said suddenly and I looked up at him, surprised that he was actually talking to me. I had always sensed that Paul didn't like me that much. "You'll be safe as long as you are with us." He noted and I nodded – speechless.

"He's right Bella, honey." I glanced at Jacob who had spoken and nodded again. They were right; they were the only thing that would keep me safe now. It was pointless to think back to the half year before all of this. I shouldn't get so caught up in my thoughts. "I should get you home, Charlie is probably wondering where you've run off too again."

"But," I protested, I did not want to go home and suddenly be trapped in a room where the psychopath vampire Victoria could get me. That was something I _never_ wanted to experience. Ever. "How can I be safe there—?"

"Don't worry Bella," assured Embry. "We'll be out patrolling around the house. We promise that no harm will get to you while we're in the forest."

A shiver was sent down my back. I _did _trust them, but I hated the thought of death. It was something I would never like. I sat there and then stood up, waiting for Jacob to mimic my motion. When we did, I said my good-byes to all of them and hugged Emily before walking out of the house. I knew that I would be there tomorrow – or at least I hoped that I would be there tomorrow. Emily was somebody I could get used to being around. I sat in Jacob's car, watching the landscape go buy. It was something I could waste my day looking at, just starring as everything passed my still body by. "Bella…" The voice was familiar and I turned my head to the side, knowing that Jacob was calling me. "What are you thinking?"

A small gasp escaped my lips. The question was _very _familiar to me and it amazed me that it was being asked. I didn't believe that the question would _ever_ be asked again. People usually didn't want to know what I was thinking. "I'm scared Jacob." I confessed.

"Don't be scared," he stressed. "I'm here and everybody else is going to be here when Victoria attacks. Don't worry Bella, we have your back. We're not going to leave you helpless. It kills me to see you scared and in so much to danger. I would never let anything happen to you." He finished and I nodded as he slung an arm around my shoulders, his warm arm coming in contact with my freezing cold skin.

"I know… it's just, when somebody promised that to me before," I hesitated; I didn't know if this was such a good idea telling Jacob about this. "They didn't exactly stay to keep that promise. They actually broke it."

"It's that _Cullen_ guy, isn't it Bella? He broke his promise to you and that's why you don't want to believe me." He accused and I nodded, ashamed that I had told him. He glanced over to me and I realized that we were outside of my house. "Bella, I promise you – I would do nothing to hurt you, ever. It is something that I will always tell you and try to prove it to you. I am not _him_." He avoided saying his name and I was glad, I probably couldn't handle it. The hole in me was not going to heal with _his_ name coming up again.

I leaned forward, kissing Jacob's cheek softly. "Thank you Jake, you have no idea how much that means to me. Call me – please?" I questioned weakly and he nodded as I made my way to the door. I opened it quickly, making sure that I eased my way into the house. I heard the reviving of the engine and turned around, looking for Jacob's car as it sped off.

"Bella – Bella is that you?" Charlie's voice floated towards my ears and I sighed before walking into the house. Of course it was me, who else would it be? The question used to annoy the heck out of me, but not anymore. I was used to Charlie's familiar voice and the familiar question. I walked further into the house after locking the door – although that would probably do nothing if Victoria came here tonight – and saw that Charlie was lying on the couch. "Bella, you scared me when you didn't reply."

I hesitated and then smiled weakly. "Sorry about that, I guess I'm just tired or something. I don't really feel that great." I admitted and he nodded, as I slipped past him and walked towards the stairs. "I just think that I'm going to go to sleep, is that alright Char—Dad?"

He nodded, "That's fine, but Bella?"

"What is it?" I questioned irritated. I didn't want to play with these questions anymore. There was only so much that I could take from Charlie and this was not one of them. I hated when he decided to question me when I was tired and didn't want too. I actually _never_ wanted to answer questions from him. I stood there and shifted my weight from either leg. "Dad… what is it?" I asked finally after a couple moments of silence.

"Bells, honey, you look pale." He finally said and I looked at him, waiting for him to continue. I didn't have to say anything for him to continue. "It's just that, you look more pale then usual." That was reassuring, thanks dad. "Did something happen with Jacob?"

Damn nightmares and Victoria. This was what they were doing to me! They were making everybody suspicious of me and it was probably going to ruin my life – if my life wasn't ruined already. I stood there, frozen before saying anything. I didn't want anything to happen with Charlie if something did happen to me, so I decided against saying anything to him. "No—no, nothing happen between us. We're best friends Dad, I just love hanging out with him. Today we actually went to the ocean, it was actually a lot of fun… well that really drained everything out of me," I was rambling, I knew it. "So I think I'm just going to go to bed, sorry about this. I promise to be home tomorrow before dark?" I knew that I couldn't keep that promise.

"No, no that's alright Bells, you have fun with Jacob, and anyways I like seeing you this way. You're fuller of life when you're with Jacob. I'm glad that you decided to go and see him that day." Charlie said and I smiled before racing upstairs. I flicked on the light of my room and closed the door behind me. I looked at the ground and recalled my dream slash nightmare.

"_So—since you're staying. Can I have my stuff back?" I asked, making my tone as light as I could manage._

_My attempt worked, to an extent: he laughed. But his eyes retained the misery. "Your things were never gone," he told me. "I knew it was wrong, since I promised you peace without reminders. It was stupid and childish, but I wanted to leave something of myself with you. The CD, the pictures, the tickets—they're all under your floorboards."_

I looked at the floor, thinking about how I could get the floorboards up. I tapped my foot on the floor and then found a loose floorboard. Silly me, why hadn't I seen that before? I lifted the floorboard, using all the strength that I had. I sat down on the floor panting – after all that I had been through and looked at the floorboard. Oh my _fucking_ god. Everything was there, just like in my dream. I picked up everything gingerly, inspecting the different gifts one by one. The pictures, the CD, the tickets, everything was there. I put the floorboard back where it was supposed to be and then turned to my CD player. I popped the CD in and pressed play. The beautiful lullaby started playing and I knew that I could not suppress the tears if I was going to listen to this. I looked around, I wasn't going to shut off the CD player, I was just going to leave it on. How was I going to explain this to _myself_? It was strange enough that the nightmare had been partly true; I was now wonderful what I was going to do. I looked towards the door and rushed out of it. I crept down the stairs, seeing that Charlie was asleep. I looked around and saw that this was it; I was not going to turn back. I was leaving this house before I fell to pieces. I grabbed my jacket and rushed out the door, locking it behind me. I looked at my red truck and knew that I wasn't going to need it. I was just going for a walk in the woods – even though it was breaking everybody's trust in me. I could take care of myself and I needed to prove it to myself.

"_Bella…"_ I must have been in danger, for the voice had returned to me. I shivered and made my way towards the forest opening. I knew that this was going against everything I had promised to Jacob _and_ Edward, but it was too late, I had made up my mind and I was not going to turn back. Not this time. _"Bella—no! Don't do this, you are in danger. Just turn around and go back to Charlie."_

No! I would not listen to the voice. I tried to ignore it, as I trudged into the forest, not really thinking anymore. I was going in there and I was proving to myself that there was nothing that wanted to harm me and then I could go on and live with myself for the rest of my life… which wasn't that long actually, looking at how my life was playing out already. A wash of safety pulled over my body as I realized that Jacob, Sam, Paul, Embry, and Jared were all out there circling around the house and the woods, protecting me. I knew that I would be safe – at least I hoped that I would be safe. I made my way through the woods, knowing where I was going, but hating the thought of being there.

"_Bella, turn around, go home and be safe with Charlie. This is foolish of you."_ I didn't care how foolish this was! I was going to keep going and there was nothing the voice in my head could do about it. _"Bella, be reasonable."_ No. No I would not be reasonable. This is what happens when you leave me Edward! I screamed in my head, hoping that the voice would leave me along for now. It taunted me and it also made me turn around and run home, but I was not going to give in. I broke through the thick branches and leaves and my eyes laid sight on the Cullens house. It was empty and I wondered if I had the strength to do this. I forced myself to walk forward. _"Bella! Please, please just listen to me. Don't go into that house—!"_

I wasn't listening anymore, even though I knew that I should have been listening to them. To _him_. I pushed open the door, it took most of my energy out of me, but I knew that I _had_ to enter the house. I stood there, looking at the empty house, knowing that nothing would be the same again. I looked around and felt the tears that I had ushered to the back of my thoughts, coming to my eyes. I couldn't believe it, I knew that this would be my reaction, but it was overwhelming. I leaned against the wall, looking around the familiar house, knowing that it would never hold another family.

A voice caught me by surprise when I realized that it was not in my head. "I wondered how long it would take you to come here Bella. I'm surprised that it took you so long; I guess that you were still so vulnerable. I don't blame you, I would be just as crushed if that had happened to me – wait, it already did." The voice was thick and unfamiliar to me. I looked up and swallowed nervously, it _was _foolish of me to come here.

_End of Chapter 2_

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**Ending Note: So did you guys like it? Hopefully you did! I will update as soon as possible! Thanks so much for reading! Happy Easter! (If you celebrate it!)**

**Review… perhaps?**


	3. Chapter 3

Waxing Crescent

Summary: (Set during New Moon) What if Bella really had been dreaming about the return of Edward and Alice and going to Italy? What if Jacob had been there to go cliff diving with Bella? How would it alter her life?

**Authors Note: I'm hoping that I can finish this story before I leave on vacation next week! So I think I'll update every single day, unless I get caught up in something that usually distracts me. So anyways newest chapter and I promise that it will get more interesting now! The poll is still open, but there are many mixed votes, so I'm not so sure anymore! So please give me your opinion one last time! Sorry about the short chapter and enjoy!**

**Co-writer: Summer's Sun**

**Disclaimer: We do not own anything.**

Do you want this to be a (blank) type of story:

A. Bella x Edward

B. Bella x Jacob

C. Bella x Mike

D. A little mix of all, but mainly Bella x Edward

E. A little mix of all, but mainly Bella x Jacob

F. A little mix of all, but mainly Bella x Mike

G. Bella x OC

H. Bella x (Place name here)

I. Other (Tell pairing please!)

* * *

_Chapter 3_

A voice caught me by surprise when I realized that it was not in my head. "I wondered how long it would take you to come here Bella. I'm surprise that it took you so long; I guess that you were still so vulnerable. I don't blame you, I would be just as crushed if that had happened to me – wait, it already did." The voice was think and unfamiliar to me. I looked up and swallowed nervously. It _was_ foolish of me to come here. I stood there, frozen, unable to do anything as she circled me.

"Victoria." I spat out, testing my voice and seeing if I could survive this. I stood there, absolutely still, afraid to move. "What the hell are you doing here?" I questioned fiercely and it only made her tilt her head back and laugh a wicked laugh. I bit my lip and watched as she continued to circle me. "I'm serious, what the hell are you doing here?"

She tilted her head back again and laughed – her wicked laugh – and then stopped in front of me. She smirked and licked her ruby red lips; her hands were at her sides. "You seriously didn't think Bella, that I wouldn't come and get you… did you?" She took once glance at the horror-struck face that I had on and smirked again. "You didn't think that I would come, did you? Well that's too bad Bella, but now was the best time to come and get you. Those werewolves are nowhere in sight as well with the Cullen family. You are _alone_."

I was alone, she was right. I had nothing going for me. I stood there; my legs were not going to move. I looked at her, frightened for my life as she took a step forward; she reached forward and brushed a lock of my chocolate hair out of my face. I looked at her angrily, hoping that she would stop, but it looked like she had no intention of stopping. "I—I am alone and I guess that it doesn't matter anymore." I said stubbornly and she rolled her eyes at me.

"You're making this too easy Bella." She said finally, "I thought that it would be harder to get to you, but I was wrong. This is _way too_ easy; I'm surprised that nobody has come for you. Could it possibly be that nobody cares for you that way?"

I swallowed painfully. Sure, nobody did care for me that way, but I wasn't going to say it out loud. It was much too painful. "Just do what you want Victoria, I don't care anymore." I finished and she smirked, advancing closer to me. I felt my legs twitch and realized that this was how I was going to die. This was how I lived my life. I was a zombie since Edward left – a pain struck through me chest, just thinking about his name – then I had met Jacob, an amazing guy who took me in willing and loved me unconditionally. I had been happier the last few months then ever and now it was all coming to an end.

"_Bella, stay still… I promise that nothing will happen to you." _The voice was back, which meant that I was in definite danger. I looked as Victoria approached and bit down on my lip, unhappily. _"Don't move Bella, please for me, don't move." _Dammit, I was going to die and he didn't want me to move? I wanted to move, I wanted to scream, but I knew that this wasn't going to work that way. I blinked, I wouldn't move because he told me too. I was forever his slave, somebody that would love him and listen to him forever.

"You know Bella, they say that when you're about to _die_, your life flashes before your eyes. Is that happening to you or not?" Victoria questioned thickly as she moved towards my side, inspecting my next.

"No," I lied through my clenched teeth, my voice wavering. I wasn't sure if she would believe me. "It's not flashing before my eyes; I don't care if I did."

She laughed again, as she pushed back the side of my hair. Why was she dragging this on? Why did she want to torture me so much? It hurt just thinking about death. I had been so close to death before that I was utterly afraid of it. I looked at Victoria as she made a smaller circle around me. She was circling me, I was her _prey_. "Well, that is quite a shame seeing as how you're going to die right now. Laurent told me before your _werewolves _killed him that you would probably be difficult to get too. That was before the Cullens left you and everything though and truth be told Bella, I thought that you would be harder to get. But now I see that you're just a pathetic girl that _nobody_ cares about."

"Victoria, if you're going to do this, then just do it. I_ hate_ how you're dragging this out. You're making it worse then it already is. I know that the Cullens left me and I know how pathetic I am, but if you just want to kill me – then kill me." I stated firmly, I was surprised that my voice came out so clear and firm. I was afraid that I was going to break easily.

"Oh Isabella," she pronounced my full name and smirked as she leaned her head against my shoulder, sending shivers down my whole body. I was not sure I could handle much more of this. "I know that I talk of your death, but I just mean the death of your human life. I never intend of really killing you. The Volturi have plans for you Isabella and if I kill you now, they will never forgive me." She said quickly and I bit down on my lip harder. I wish that she could have just killed me. I didn't know if this was a good thought or not.

"The Volturi…" I trailed off and Victoria nodded.

"They're the reason why you're going to be changed Isabella. They're the reason why I haven't devoured you. You should be grateful for them. Without them wanting you, I would have taken you and killed you with no mercy." Well that was very reassuring… not really, it just made me wince in pain as I realized that she was going to leave to face the pain alone.

"Are you prepared Isabella?" She questioned as I could feel her razor sharp teeth preparing to dig into my skin. I looked at her, and realized that she was not as pretty as Alice and Rosalie, definitely not as nice as Esme and Carlisle, and not as lively as Edward, Emmett, and Jasper. They would always be my family after this. They would always be my heart. I could hear my heart beating and I knew that this would be the last time. "Are you ready for your human life to end and your vampire life to begin?"

"No," I croaked out. "But I know that know of that will change anything that you do."

"You're correct, Isabella." She said quickly and then smirked against my neck as she finally prepared herself to sink her teeth into me. I was ready; I prepared myself and then realized that the voice hadn't come back. He probably didn't care about me enough to save me from this danger. "Prepare yourself Isabella, this is the end." She sank her teeth into my neck and it seemed like everything around me was falling. She pulled back as I winced and screamed in pain. I couldn't handle the pain; I was suddenly falling, gasping for air and realized that I was in water. I was somewhere far away. I looked up and Victoria was smirking, but she didn't offer her hand. I saw her turn to the side and then hiss in disgust before running off. Where was she going? I saw another figure before finally dissolving into the darkness. It burned and it hurt, it hurt so badly.

* * *

I opened my eyes, testing their strength and realized that I could see perfectly. It was still burning, everything was burning and I realized that I was on fire. It was so hot! I couldn't stop the feeling. I saw somebody next to me and then another figure. I hit my head against the floor, trying to stop the burning before rolling on my side. I rolled to my other side, but a hand stopped me. "Fuck!" I cursed. "Can't you see the fire? Put out the damn fire!"

"Jake, she's delusional; I don't know if it's safe for us to be around her. She is one of them now." A voice, that sounded similar to Embry's voice called out and I looked towards my side. Jacob, he was here and he was starring at me.

"Jacob!" I screamed helplessly. "The fire, it's burning my body, Jacob! What do I do? Can't you put the damn fire out?"

Jacob winced and I saw that he was holding me; he was restraining me from thrashing around. I didn't know how long I had been out, but I knew that we were no longer in the Cullens house. He could do nothing for me that was all I knew. He didn't see the fire – like I saw the fire. "Bella," he soothed, "it's going to be okay, trust me. You're going to be alright." I didn't believe him and I didn't think that he believed himself either.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. It's burning, fuck – Jacob! It's going to burn this whole place down and you're not going to put the fire out?! Why can't you see the fire? It feels like I'm walking through hell!" I screamed painfully, wanting to thrash around in pain rather then lay still and have to fight the pain off by myself. I saw a figure enter, cringe and walk over to me. I looked up and realized that Emily was by my side. "Emily," I breathed, "Why can't anybody put out the fire?!"

"Bella, honey, it's going to be okay." Why was everybody saying that? Emily looked down at me and pressed a cool towel to my face. It wasn't going to do anything for me, but I could let her hope. I pressed my hand to the towel and waited for her to continue. "Bella,"—she looked at the people who were framing the room and then back at Jacob—"you're going to be alright, you don't have to worry. We're going to take care of you and the rest of the group is already hunting Victoria, Bella its okay to be scared."

"I'm not scared," I ventured. "I'm just burning and nobody can put the fire out!"

"Bella, sleep now." Emily breathed and pressed a hand to my forehead, my cheeks, and then to my arm. The fire was burning me, it was destroying me, it felt like back a year before when James had bit me. I looked around and realized that I was changing into a vampire. That's why the fire was burning me and that's why Jacob and the rest of them couldn't do anything for me. I was going to become a vampire and then Jacob couldn't protect me, could he? He was a werewolf and I couldn't do anything about it. I looked around and closed my eyes, I was drowning again, but the water didn't stop the fire.

_End of Chapter 3_

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**Ending Note: So how did you like it? Was it good? Well I hoped that you liked it! Thanks for reading and remember to take the poll! Thanks so much for all your reviews, I don't know how many of you are on vacation, but where I am, we are not on vacation which sucks! So anyways I hope that you're enjoying your day! I'll be back tomorrow!**

**Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

Waxing Crescent

Summary: (Set during New Moon) What if Bella really had been dreaming about the return of Edward and Alice and going to Italy? What if Jacob had been there to go cliff diving with Bella? How would it alter her life?

**Authors Note: Bonjour mes amis! I am so glad that you guys loved last chapter and just to let you know, the poll is _still open_ for those who haven't voted. The vote is close…! I promise there will be no decision until a little later. Pairings will become obvious sooner or later. So thanks again for all the wonderful reviews, you guys are amazing! Any questions that you have, I will be happy to answer them, so ask away! So some songs that I would recommend while reading this story are:**

_Wreck of the Day by Anna Nalick_

_Without You from RENT, the musical_

_Come Down To Me by Saving Jane_

_I Will Follow You into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie_

_Your Guardian Angel by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus_

_Leap of Faith by Michelle Branch_

**Just a suggestion because I was listening to those songs while I was writing this chapter actually. I don't know how many people listen to songs while they're reading something, but I do… maybe I'm the only one! So enjoy enjoy!**

**Co-writer and editor: Summer's Sun**

**Disclaimer: We do not own anything.**

Do you want this to be a (blank) type of story:

A. Bella x Edward

B. Bella x Jacob

C. Bella x Mike

D. A little mix of all, but mainly Bella x Edward

E. A little mix of all, but mainly Bella x Jacob

F. A little mix of all, but mainly Bella x Mike

G. Bella x OC

H. Bella x (Place name here)

I. Other (Tell pairing please!)

**

* * *

**

_Chapter 4_

I was breathing, but breathing wasn't one of my main focus now in life. I looked in the mirror, noticing that I was no longer apparent in it. Dammit, I couldn't even look at myself. I pressed a hand to the mirror and sighed. All this vampire transformation had taken a lot out of me. It was hard to even think straight. I was going to be eighteen years old forever and the thought dawned on me that I didn't want to be a vampire. I only wanted to be a vampire if Edward was going to be there for me. And he wasn't, so now what was I going to do with myself for the rest of eternity? It was the first day after the transformation formed and still Charlie knew nothing about it. Jacob had told me that Billy called Charlie and told him that I was sick and was going to stay at Emily and Sam's place for a little while. I sat down on the floor, tired or starring at nothing and looked towards the door as I heard that somebody was walking closer to the door frame. I looked up as Jacob came into the room. He winced, a deep scowl on his face. He hated me because of what I had become and I knew it. "Jacob," I breathed, my voice perfect, something that had happened over the few days. "I'm so sorry! I never meant for this to happen."

He sat down a couple feet away from me. He looked up at the mirror and I saw a reflection of him starring back at him. I cringed; I would never get to see myself again. "It's okay Bella,"—I didn't know what to believe, he turned his head towards me, he was cautious whenever he was near me. He knew that I probably couldn't handle this on my own and the lack of vampires in town only made it worse—"it was Victoria who did this to you. It was not you fault and I don't want you blaming yourself for this awful thing. I'm just frustrated that we couldn't do anything about it. Why did you go out that night Bella, why did you go there?"

I swallowed painfully. "I went because of a dream Jacob, you have to understand. When you dropped me off a few days before, I had a dream about Edward and Alice and going to Italy and everything. It seemed so real, but I knew that it was only a dream." Well, that wasn't the real truth, but I wasn't going to tell him what really had happened. I didn't want to believe that it was _only_ a dream. "There were some things in the dream that turned out to be true and it scared me to death. I went to the Cullens looking for something to tell me that they were truly gone. I knew what _might_ have happened, but I wished that it didn't. I was scared Jake and there was nobody to talk too. I don't know what else to say." I finished and he starred at me. He was shaking violently. I didn't know what was going to happen next.

"I don't get it Bella, you were supposed to say out of trouble and yet you found yourself in even more trouble then you probably bargained for. I'm not sure if it's safe to be around you and I know that you know nothing about how a vampire's supposed to live. What are we going to do with you Bells?" He questioned firmly and I shrugged, wanting to cry but knowing that I probably couldn't even produce a single tear again.

"I'm sorry…" I choked out. "I never meant for this to happen."

He nodded his head, his hair moving slightly with his motion. "I know that you never meant for this to happen Bells, but what are we going to do? What happens when you do get thirsty and you feel like you have to attack one of us to quench your thirst? I don't know how long that is going to be, but I hope that you would never think of turning on one of us. We are still on your side here and we are still looking for Victoria."

"I—I'm not thirst Jake, you have to believe me. I would never turn on you guys; I know how much you've done for me and how much you plan to do for me. I'm—I'm sorry about this, I never meant for this to happen." I was repeating myself, but I didn't care anymore. Jacob stood up and shook his head. Was he leaving? Was he leaving forever? How long was he going to be gone for? He reached forward and placed a warm hand on my frozen cheek. I rested my head in his palm and before I could even blink, his hand was gone. I looked up at him and there was a frown on his face. "This is horrible." I breathed.

"Not horrible, just not what we planned." Jacob confirmed and stalked off to the door. He looked back at me as his hand was placed on the door-knob. "Bella, promise me that you will stay here. There's something coming." I looked around and then looked back at him. There was nothing in this room except for a mirror. There was no window or anything. Just a single light-bulb and a mirror, that I couldn't even see myself in. "Don't move or something will happen, they know that you're here." He hissed before walking out of the door and closing it behind him quickly. I looked around for something that would console me, but found nothing.

"Dammit! Jacob Black, you let me see her _right now_! She is not your concern anymore! If she is already a vampire, then she is my concern. I am here to get her and then I will remove her from your life. I can show her how to live – if she doesn't know the basis then she will _die_ and I know that you don't want that. Let me through and right now! I demand that you let me see her!" The voice was so familiar, that I thought I was dreaming. Alice Cullen. I thought dreamily, she was here for me; she was going to save me.

"No!" Jacob hissed. "She is not yours to worry about. She is with us now, she runs with us and she will be _protected _by us. You can't just waltz back in and inspect everything to be the same! You walked out on her and we walked in. We were here before you. I am not going to let you see her because I know that you will just hurt her over again!" I heard a stomp on the ground and I imagined one of them losing their temper. I didn't really expect Alice to ever lose her temper, but it was probably her. I stood up and walked towards the door, knowing that I was breaking Jacob's promise. I pushed open the door and found myself starring in Alice's eyes. Her eyes softened as she made a few steps forward.

"Alice…" I said breezily, so glad that my best friend had finally returned. In my dreams, she had seemed so real, but now she was even more real and so much more. I looked over at Jacob who was frowning and scowling at the same time, if that was even possible. Alice pushed past Jacob, who was clearly angry now, and ran towards me, pulling me into her arms. "Alice! Oh my god, I missed you so much and I was so scared and I had _no idea_ what to do and there was nobody! Alice, there was nobody! Who was I supposed to turn too—"

"It's okay Bella, everything is going to be okay now, I'm here and Jasper is here with me and it's going to be okay." Alice soothed and I buried my head into her shoulder, so glad that she was finally back with me. I noted that our skin were the same temperatures finally. She stroked her fingers through my hair and rain her other hand around my back, trying to soothe me even though I wasn't crying at all. "Oh Bella, you have no idea how much I missed you and we were all so worried that something would happen to you! I'm sorry that I wasn't here, I could have stopped you, but my visions have been cloudier then ever since we left, I don't know what's going on, but I just wished that I could have stopped Victoria. You didn't deserve this, you still don't deserve this."

I looked over the doorway where Jasper was hanging back; he was still as timid as ever. Jacob was leaning against the opposite wall and I knew that it would never be over. Jacob would argue with me after this meeting with Alice and Jasper was over. He pushed off the wall and made his way out of the room; I knew that he probably couldn't handle this. "It's not your fault Alice, it was my fault, and anyways I shouldn't have gone to your deserted house where Victoria had been hiding. I was being an idiot like always and I was being reckless like always. I never meant for her to find me, but something had happened and it was reminding me of _him_ and then I had to go to the one place to make sure that I would no longer think of _him_." Alice nodded as I explained everything. She pulled away from me and smiled.

"It's over now Bella, I should have gotten here sooner, and it was my fault on that. I could have stopped her and this never would have happened to you." She looked down at my body and my new defined features that Jacob had told me about, "though I must say Bella, you do look amazing."

I chuckled in response and smiled brightly at my best friend. I can't believe she had left me for all this time and then suddenly appeared again. I pulled away from her, thanking her for her comment and glided over to Jasper, hugging his lightly before pulling back. "You don't have to keep your distance anymore, there is nothing you could do that would hurt me,"—I hesitated because there was something that could hurt me—"unless you leave again, that would _still _hurt."

"Don't worry Bella," Alice said quickly. "We're not planning on leaving you anytime soon. I know what that could do to you and I know what it's done to Edward." Crap. She used his name, I could feel a pang go through my body and I shivered. This was not going to be fun hearing about him. Before I could question her, what had happened to Edward, she continued her story. "He's been wandering around the world for the whole time that we've been gone. I don't know exactly what he's been doing, but he's just going around searching. It's not like he's even around anymore. I haven't told him about this yet, but he probably already knows." I shrugged, pretending like it didn't matter to me, but it did, it meant the world to me to know where Edward was. I was slightly disappointed that he hadn't come with Alice and Jasper.

I inhaled, knowing that it was only to distract myself from my thoughts and that it was not really needed. "It's alright Alice; it's okay that he didn't come. I—I think that it's better this way. He said that he didn't want me and I know that I should respect that." I was folded into Alice's strong arms, this time it wasn't crushing; I was glad that she could be there for me. "Alice, Alice, what am I going to do?" I cried into her shoulder and I realized something.

I was thirsty.

* * *

"Alice," I whined. "I don't think I can do this. I'm not like you guys; I haven't had hundred of years to practice this! This is all so knew to me and I don't think that I know what to do and I don't think that I can attack an animal! That is just plain weird, I mean I'm not that thirsty, I'm just a little bit and it's not a really big deal." I was rambling, I knew it. "I just don't think that I can kill an animal just like that. It's really appalling in my mind." I explained and Alice rolled her eyes a smile clear on her face. Jasper reached out and touched my shoulder lightly.

"Don't worry Bells, you can do this, it's an instinct, I'm sure that you'll get the hang of it by at least the second try." He said and smiled reassuring as I stared out across the forest. I was not ready, I would fail and I couldn't think of what would happen to the animal. Jasper let his hand rest on my shoulder as I bit down on my lip. "Bella… Bella, you can do this, we know that you can."

I shook my head fiercely, I couldn't do this. I was not ready! I wasn't even _that_ thirsty, it was just a little annoying pang in the back of my throat. I looked down at the ground and then back at them. Alice had moved forward a couple of steps, starring at me cautiously. "I can't do this Jasper, I just can't. It appalls me to think of how I will have to kill an animal and I don't know if I can—"

"Bella," stressed Alice. She was just a couple of feet away from me, I had never seen Alice lose her temper before, but for once I was glad that Jasper was standing next to me instead of Alice. She might have done something that would not end pleasantly. I bit down harder on my lip and waited for her to tell me something. "We can do this now or we can do this later. It appears that you aren't ready and I don't want to force you into something that is too much for you body to handle. So we're just going to take this slowly, one step at a time, alright Bells?"

I nodded, grateful that I had been let off the hook easily. I twirled a strand of my chocolate brown hair around my finger and then glanced over at Jasper and Alice, noticing that they were not muttering in low voices to each other. I pretended to look around – being interested in something else – while they talked. They stopped and Alice turned towards me. "What happened and why can't I be in on the conversation?" I questioned playfully and Alice smirked and rolled her eyes. "Are you going to tell me?"

"Sorry Bells," Jasper finally admitted. "Alice just saw something, nothing important, she was just telling me about what she saw,"—he looked towards Alice and then back towards me—"and that was pretty much it. We were just getting worried over nothing. You know Jacob Black?" I nodded, waiting for him to continue. "Well, he's decided that he doesn't want you hanging around with us. So that's all that Alice was telling me."

"And you couldn't tell me this… why?" I questioned and shifted my weight from either foot. I could sense that they were lying to me. I was not sure how, but I knew that Jasper was lying. He was suddenly looking around nervously at Alice who was keeping her composure. "Do you think we should go back to the house?"

Alice nodded her head fiercely, grabbing my arm and tugging me with her. For once, her stone-grip did not kill my arm, I could barely feel it. I watched as Jasper trailed at her side and then it hit me. We were not even going in the direction towards the house! We were going the _opposite _direction. Alice must have sensed that something was wrong, because she looked down at me, a frown tugging at her lips. "Don't worry Bella, we'll keep you safe."

"What? What happened?" I questioned and looked towards Jasper. "Did something happen to somebody?"

"No! No! Nothing like that, I just see somebody coming. I don't know who it is, but Bella I'm not sure if it's safe for you to be out here in the forest although we could probably take them – they will sense what happened to you and I don't know if that's such a good idea." Alice explained and tugged at me, trying to make me go faster. "It might be Victoria, I think that she wants you to go somewhere with her. Somebody _wants _you."

"_Oh Isabella," she pronounced my full name and smirked as she leaned her head against my shoulder, sending shivers down my whole body. I was not sure I could handle much more of this. "I know that I talk of your death, but I just mean the death of your human life. I never intend of really killing you. The Volturi have plans for you Isabella and if I kill you now, they will never forgive me." She said quickly and I bit down on my lip harder. I wish that she could have just killed me. I didn't know if this was a good thought or not._

I blinked a couple times. I remembered now, the Volturi wanted me. What did they want me for? I had no idea. I remained speechless until Alice had pulled me through the bushes and towards the front door of their old house. I let her; I was helpless in this situation. I knew what the Volturi did and I remembered my dream clearly. They wanted me for something – but they feasted on people. I was not going to go there; I would not stand by and watch them do that. "A—Alice," I stammered out and she turned her head as Jasper pushed open the door. "Victoria said that the Volturi wanted me and that's why she changed me. They would never forgive her if she killed me. They need me for something."

She cursed under her breath as we entered the house. Jasper closed the door securely behind us. I was surprised to see that there were couches and different pieces of furniture inside. It must have meant that they were planning on staying for awhile. She cursed a couple of more times. What had happened to Alice, she was acting different. Jasper turned on his heels and pushed us both down on the couches. "Bella, she's going to take you there and I don't know if we can stop it."

"What do you mean you can't stop her from getting me?!" I was out-raged, I thought that they could protect me… but that didn't mean that they could protect me from everything, I realized. They protected me from James, but what would happen now? They weren't stronger then the Volturi, I didn't think that any vampire was stronger then the Volturi. "I'm sorry," I said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to say it like that, I know that I can protect myself, I'm just used to relying on other people." I whispered my voice barely audible, but I knew that both of them heard my words.

"Bella," Alice breathed, ignoring my words and comments. "Somebody's outside." I gripped her arm, fear trickling down my back. I ran my hand down my thigh back and forth. Holy shit… was I going to die? Was this the end to everything I knew? I sat there and gripped my thigh and Alice's arm as I tightened my grips on both. The door moved slowly open and I prepared myself to scream, Jasper turned his head towards the door and looked straight ahead, not moving an inch of his body. Was it Victoria? Was it somebody that I didn't want to see? I looked around and realized that it wasn't Victoria and it wasn't Jacob. It wasn't Charlie either. I was being stupid – like always. I looked at the ground and then glanced back up, a gasp caught in my throat.

My eyes widened as I realized who was standing the doorway, a grim expression on his face. I wanted to bang my head somewhere or do something that would wake me up from this dream. I didn't want it to be a dream, but he was too real to be standing there starring back at me, a frown spread across his beautiful features. I let go of my tight hold of Alice's arm and my thigh and stood up. "Edward…" I breathed.

_End of Chapter 4_

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**Ending Note: So how was it? I hope that you enjoyed it and sorry about the cliffhanger! It's the return of Edward finally! Dun dun dun, what will happen to Jacob and what will Bella do? Well you'll just have to tune in next time! Thanks for reading!**

**Review… perhaps?**


	5. Chapter 5

Waxing Crescent

Summary: (Set during New Moon) What if Bella really had been dreaming about the return of Edward and Alice and going to Italy? What if Jacob had been there to go cliff diving with Bella? How would it alter her life?

**Authors Note: So thanks so much for all the reviews! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the last chapter and here is the newest chapter! Sorry it's a little late, I was busy this afternoon, so I didn't get the time to write it. So anyways the poll is still open like always, but I think that it will close next chapter – SO LAST CHANCE TO GET YOUR VOTE IN! It's close, that's all I can say! **

**Co-writer and editor: Summer's Sun **

**Disclaimer: We do not own anything. **

_WARNING: There is some Edward and Bella scenes in this chapter, but do not worry! That is _not_ the final pairing. You all voted something that said: A little mix of both, but mainly (blank), so here is the little bit of Edward and Bella for now. Just warning you so you don't hate me! _

**Enjoy enjoy! **

Do you want this to be a (blank) type of story:

A. Bella x Edward

B. Bella x Jacob

C. Bella x Mike

D. A little mix of all, but mainly Bella x Edward

E. A little mix of all, but mainly Bella x Jacob

F. A little mix of all, but mainly Bella x Mike

G. Bella x OC

H. Bella x (Place name here)

I. Other (Tell pairing please!)

* * *

_Chapter 5_

My eyes widened as I realized who was standing the doorway, a grim expression on his face. I wanted to bang my head somewhere or do something that would wake me up from this dream. I didn't want it to be a dream, but he was too real to be standing there starring back at me, a frown spread across his beautiful features. I let go of my tight hold of Alice's arm and my thigh and stood up. " Edward…" I breathed.

"Bella," he greeted and I noted how much I had missed that voice and the way my name sounded when he spoke it. I wanted to run to him, but what if it was another delusional? I knew that I probably could not handle that at all. I didn't even know what was keeping me standing. I glanced over at Alice who only nodded. "Maybe we should talk Bella." Edward finally said and I nodded, willing my legs to move for me. I walked towards him, trying to be careful not to trip over anything, but my new found legs didn't fail me like I thought they would. He ushered me up the stairs and towards his old room. We were in his room before I even know what I was doing.

"Um… I can explain." I swallowed nervously, not really knowing what I was saying, but I knew that I was buying myself time. I didn't want to hear how disappointed he was in me – which probably was a lot. I was one of _them_, I was a vampire and I knew that it was my fault. If I hadn't gone out that night to the house, then this would never have happened. "Just give me a chance to explain, please—"

He held up a hand for me to stop. I paused, seeing that he no longer wanted me to talk. I looked around the room that was bare, and searched my mind trying to remember what it had looked like before all of this had happened. "It wasn't your fault Bella, it was my fault, and I should have protected you better. This would have never happened if I hadn't left you that day." His breathing was uneven as he reached out towards the wall and slammed his fist against the wall, making a loud hollow sound that probably startled both Jasper and Alice.

"Don't Edward. Don't do that, you're going to scare Japer and Alice out of their minds. It wasn't your fault. I was the one who got myself into this and I guess I have to be the one to get myself out of this mess. I shouldn't have depended on you guys too much; I was a fool for that." I whispered, knowing that he could hear my clearly. "I mean, you guys weren't _always_ going to be there and I should have known that I was being stupid in always depending on you. It was stupid, _I_ was stupid, and my whole life is screwed up now." I shook my head, letting my brown hair create a curtain between Edward and me.

"Don't do that." It was his turn to instruct me. I looked up at him, questioning and he smiled, before moving forward and brushing the hair out of my face. I opened my mouth to protest, but he shook his head. "I'm so sorry Bella; I don't think that you will ever know how sorry I am. I didn't mean to leave you alone like this, but I didn't think that Victoria would ever come after you. If we left, then she would find nothing to go after you for… it seems that I was wrong and now you're damned for eternity, just like me."

"I wouldn't call it that Edward," he shivered as I mentioned his name. A small smile tugged at my lips. "I would just say that it's a new beginning, I have the rest of eternity to figure out what I'm going to do with my life. It's not eternal damnation or whatever you call it. It's just… it's just hard to grasp for right now – knowing that I'm going to be _alive_ forever and eighteen forever." I tried and he nodded, moving slightly forward and pulled me towards his chest. I didn't protest, not knowing how long he would be here for.

"Bella, can you ever forgive me?" He questioned in a light warm tone. I almost shivered at the tone of his voice. I inhaled his scent, remembering everything that had happened.

I shrugged as I rested my head in the crook of his neck. He lightly touched the small of my back as I wrapped my arms around his neck. "I was never mad at you Edward, it just hurt, and it hurt so much that you would leave me alone. Why… why did you do it Edward?" I questioned and he snaked an arm around my waist, bringing me in closer to him.

"I did it so I could protect you. I _thought_ that this would protect you." Edward explained and I nodded my head against his neck, the coldness of his skin no longer affected me the way I thought it would. It was probably because our skin temperatures were the same. I looked up from his neck and looked at my hand that was wrapped around his neck. I stared at the crescent shaped scar and bit down on my lip. "What are you thinking?" Edward asked suddenly.

I looked up in surprise, that question should have been something normal for me, but it wasn't. I stared out across the room at the wall that we were so closed too and sighed. I didn't know what I was thinking about. "Nothing I guess."

He chuckled and ran a hand through my brown hair, twirling a strand around his finger absently. "You can never think about nothing Bella, you are always thinking of something." I rolled my eyes at him, I didn't need a lecture on what I should be thinking and if I ever stopped thinking. I think that I stopped thinking usually when somebody was going on and on about somebody. Take my teachers for example – well they _used_ to be my teachers, now I wasn't sure if I ever wanted to go back. I wasn't going to say it out loud, but I thought that I did stop thinking when the teachers started talking. "I missed you." He breathed.

"I missed you also," I confessed. "It's been hard on me Edward, it's hard to just let go of everything that you taught me and showed me. You didn't just expect me to forget everything did you?" He shook his head against my brown locks and I felt a small kiss to my forehead. Okay, so I was going to allow him to do that because I had missed him so much. Jacob invaded my mind and I had to suddenly find him. "I have to go."

"What? Where do you have to go?" He looked at me as if I had gone insane. I didn't have time to explain to him that I needed to go and see Jacob, he would tell me that it wasn't such a good idea – but then again, Jacob had been there when nobody else had. Even Sam, Paul, Embry, Emily, and Jared didn't really want to be around me. Emily was genuine about it, she said that she just really didn't trust me because I was in the _early vampire stages_. She said that she was sorry and that she never meant for this to happy.

"Edward, I have to go, I can't explain it now, but I just have to go." I said quickly and urgently. He shook his head uncertain as I pulled out of his grasp. "Promise me Edward, that you will be here when I get back." I whispered and he nodded, bringing a hand to my face and pecking my cheek lightly.

"I would never leave _again_, not without you Bella." Edward declared and I nodded before moving gingerly to the door and walking out. I walked gracefully down the stairs, the first time in a long time that I had ever gone without tripping. I looked back at Edward's room and noted that he was looking down at me, smiling. I smiled back at him and then turned to Alice and Jasper who were sitting on the couch. I waved and then moved towards the door, before Alice could protest, Edward cut in and I realized that he was back in the family room. Alice shut her mouth as I closed the door behind me. I ran, realizing that I could go faster then I ever imagined and smiled as I ended up in front of Emily and Sam's place where I knew Jacob was probably waiting for an explanation. I pushed open the door cautiously and looked straight ahead, my eyes landing on Jacob sitting at the table. He looked up and arched an eye-brow in my direction.

"Where have you been? I was worried about you," he shifted his position as I closed the door behind me. I walked over to him obediently and sat down next to him. He looked at me, a scowl clear on his face. "You were with the Cullens, you left me for the Cullens Bella – how could you? You know our treaty, you _know_ how I feel about them, when are you going to realize that it's better to just _stay away_ from the Cullens?!"

I blinked a couple times, a wave of sadness brushing over me. I had betrayed my best friend, but it was hard to choose. I _loved_ Edward, I would always love Edward and Jacob, Jacob was my best friend and I loved him also. "I'm sorry," I finally said, "it's just that I was so excited to see them, Alice, Jasper, and Edward are all my friends and it was hard to resist the urge to be with them Jacob, you have to understand."

"Not this time Bella, I can't believe that you would just go and betray me for a night out with old friends that _hurt_ you! How could you think that that would be a good idea? I thought that you actually had some sense! You know how I feel about them," he repeated as I sunk down in my chair. I didn't like where this was going. "And still, you went out with them and broke your promise, what are you going to do about it Bella, try to ignore it? Are you going to pick _them_ or _us_? Are you Bella, what are you going to do?" I closed my eyes and pressed my hands to my temple. I didn't want anymore lecturing. "What are you going to do Bella?!" He question firmly and fiercely and I shook my head, my thoughts spinning, giving me an awful head-ache.

"I don't know Jacob! I don't know! I'm not sure what I'm going to do and I would appreciate it if you didn't keep screaming at me! I don't know," I repeated and I stood up, pushing the chair back quickly and walked towards the door. "I have to go, I have to go wander and think of something. This is so annoying and you're not making it any better. I thought that you were supposed to be my best friend…?"

"I _was_." He said his voice was clear with finality. I looked back and blinked, wishing that I could break down crying, but knew that that wouldn't work on Jacob. I looked at him for a spilt second. He _was_ my best friend; he was _no longer_ my best friend. That's what he meant and I sighed before giving up. "Go think about it for awhile, I'll need an answer sooner or later though Bella. You need to decide and fast."

"I—I know." I stuttered, the first time I had stuttered after being changed into a vampire. I looked at him and then turned my back on him and walked out the door, shutting it quickly behind me. I inhaled deeply and started to walk then that quickly changed into a run. I didn't know where I was going, but I knew that I had to go somewhere, anywhere that would help me get over this. Who to pick? Who should I be with? I loved Edward, but I also loved Jacob… but did I love Jacob in_ that_ way? I was running so fast that suddenly I found myself alone at my house. Charlie was clearly gone and there was nobody inside. I looked around and then walked to the door, grabbing the spare key from under the eave. I pushed open the door before waltzing inside. I looked around again and closed the door firmly behind me.

"Isabella Swan, I never took you for stupid, but I guess I thought too much. You are pretty stupid, returning here by yourself." I looked over and swallowed painfully. Victoria, I knew that this had been a bad idea, but I was so angry with the world and Jacob and Edward that I couldn't handle it – I wasn't thinking. Victoria grinned and took a couple of steps forward. "Your friends can't help you _now_."

I nodded subconsciously, as she moved closer to me. "I know that they can't help me, nobody can help…" I stopped myself; it was like I was talking to an old friend instead of the person who had done this to me. I shivered and crossed my arms delicately across my chest. "What are you doing here? I thought that you were done with your job, I'm not a concern anymore, am I?"

"Oh Isabella, of course you are a concern. Don't you remember what I said when I _changed_ you? The Volturi want you, I work for them and they want you. I'm here to retrieve you and my job won't be done if you are still out here with your lover boy and best friend. You need to come with me." Victoria ordered and I shook my head, my eyes widening. " Isabella, don't make this any harder then it has to be."

I swallowed and looked back at her. How could I _not_ make this hard? She was kidnapping me from the only place that I had ever known and she wanted me to stay calm? "I don't think that that is a smart request Victoria, I'm not going with you _anywhere_, and I will never go with you! I have a place here; I'm not going with the person who damned me for eternity." A small smile crossed my features.

"I know that you do not feel that way Isabella, you have Edward Cullen for eternity now and I know that you couldn't be happier. You should be glad that I changed you; you knew that Edward was never going to change you and you knew that that meant that you weren't going to be with him forever. You knew under all the things you tried to conceal it with, that he was going to leave you and you hated the idea. You know Isabella; you are self-centered when you think about it long and hard. I never would have thought of that, if you hadn't pointed it out." Victoria drawled and I bit my lip before furrowing my brow angrily at her. She held out a finger and then advanced towards me. "It's not time to leave Isabella and you're going to come with me whether you want too or not." She slammed a fist against the back of my neck, making me pass out.

* * *

I awoke with a start, searching around my surroundings. I heard a soft groan and noticed that Victoria was sitting next to me, she rolled her eyes and I sat up, looking around again. Everything was blurry; I shook my head a couple of times before everything became clear. Victoria smirked and nudged her head for me to look straight ahead. A man, one that looked alike to the same guy in my dream – if my memory was correct, his name was Aro – waltzed towards us, a smile upon his ghostly features. "Isabella! Finally, you are awake; we thought that Victoria actually killed you." He laughed at his own joke, but I was not amused. "It was surprising that Victoria got through her job so _fast_."

"Don't mention it." I muttered and leaned against the hard wall behind me, noticing for once that I was glad I had some support that wasn't actually a person. Then it hit me, I was in Italy, I was with the Volturi! How long had I been out for?! "Wait a second – how did I get here? Why am I here? How long have I been passed out for?!"

"Cool it Isabella." Victoria hissed and fluffed a piece of her bright orange hair. She smiled sweetly at Aro and waited for him to continue. I looked back at him, he was standing very still, but he was smiling. So maybe I hadn't ticked him off _yet_.

"All your questions will be answered Isabella, but we have to know, will you join us?" Aro questioned and I raised my eye-brows, why did they want me? I was just a nobody, I had been a vampire for no longer then four days and they wanted me to be with them? They needed something and I had it for them. I wasn't quite sure what it was, but I was going to find it out. They couldn't hide it from me. " Isabella, I'm waiting."

"I—I don't understand why I'm here." I confessed and Victoria rolled her eyes and grunted. She didn't like how stupid I was being, I could tell. Aro stepped forward and sat down next to me. I waited for him to continue, but he said nothing. The silence was unbearable, I couldn't even think about what Edward, Alice, Jasper, and Jacob were thinking or what they were doing. Were they even worried about me? "Why do you want _me_?"

"Why wouldn't we want you Isabella, you're everything that we have wanted as the bait. You have to lure in the people, who else is going to do it? Since you're such a lovely and friendly person, it shall be easy for you to lure them in. We need you Isabella, our last bait Heidi was moved to a different position." I could sense that he was lying; he could tell that I knew and then sighed. "We need you Isabella for reasons that will be explained soon, but for right now, all you will be is the bait. Will you accept this?"

"You won't hurt Edward, Alice, Jasper, the rest of the Cullens, or Jacob… will you?" I questioned and he nodded quickly. I inhaled deeply, thinking about what this would do to the Cullen family and to Jacob. They were probably searching for me, weren't they? Edward had promised not to leave and I trusted him, although I didn't know to what extent. I blinked a couple times before coming back to reality. "I accept your offer, as long as you do nothing to hurt them."

"Excellent." Aro stated and he turned to Victoria. "Will you take Isabella to meet the rest of the Volturi? I'm sure that she will enjoy meeting Heidi and Gianna, I think that they will all get along so well." He turned back to me and touched my arm lightly. I flinched slightly and then looked back at him. "Don't worry Isabella, they will teach you what to do around here; I know that you are only in the first stages of being a vampire." He had read my thoughts. Oh my god. Just like my dream! I was suddenly starting to wonder, how much of my dream was really a dream and how much of my dream was reality?!

_End of Chapter 5_

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**Ending Note: So how was it? Tell me about it please! Remember to take the poll, this _is_ the last chance because the pairing will become final once the poll ends! Thanks for reading and I'll be back tomorrow with another chapter!**

**Review… perhaps? It would make me happy!**


	6. Chapter 6

Waxing Crescent 

Summary: (Set during New Moon) What if Bella really had been dreaming about the return of Edward and Alice and going to Italy? What if Jacob had been there to go cliff diving with Bella? How would it alter her life?

**Authors Note: I am so sorry that I did not update yesterday and I'm sorry that I couldn't get this story finished before I left on vacation. I am leaving in 45 minutes, so I hope that you can be satisfied with this chapter. I do not know if I will be able to write over the vacation, if I have the change I chance, then I will definitely update. I get back the Sunday after this Sunday and then after that I'm here Monday and then I leave again on Tuesday. So I'm not sure when I will have the chance to update. Hopefully, I will have time during my vacation to update – if not then I am so sorry! I will update when I get the chance. **

**I'm sorry about the mistakes I had in this story from the book. I guess I wasn't really paying attention and if there are any mistakes, you can point them out and I will gladly change them when I have the time. I forgot to answer some questions. Here's one that I got from ****Jordan****: Why does the Volturi need Bella? The answer is still quite unclear because they need her for something, but it's not going to be revealed yet. _No_, the do not need her as only the bait, that's her position for now until later. Hope that answers some people's questions. **

**Also, Aro still has the power to read people's thoughts by touching them, so I hope that clears the air there also. (DEEP BREATH) So I'm hoping that you still enjoy this story although this chapter MIGHT BE CONFUSING! Warning, warning! So if you find it confusing at all, just tell me and I'll fix it whenever I have the chance. Or I will answer questions that you have so ask away. **

**(AGAIN DEEP BREATH!) So the poll is officially closed, sorry to those who did not vote. The pairing will become clearer once the story goes on. Again sorry that I could not finish the story before I went away on vacation. Thanks for all the reviews! Enjoy!  
****  
Co-writer and editor: Summer's Sun **

**Disclaimer: We do not own anything. **

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_Chapter 6 _

I crossed my legs quickly and looked at the beautiful woman before me. Heidi. That was her name and I remembered her clearly from my dream. She smirked and tapped a finger to her perfect pink lips – she was deep in thought. It was times like these that I wished that I could read people's thoughts like Edward. _Ouch_ – shouldn't have thought of that. I was sitting in my new room, Heidi looming over me. Victoria had gone out and Heidi was supposed to show me how to get around. "Well," Heidi finally spoke, her voice was light and perfect, and I envied her. "Since you're the new 'bait', all you have to do is go out there," she pointed behinds her, indicating the outside world. "And get us some people, that's all for now, you understand Isabella?" I gave up on trying to get everybody to just call me _Bella_, they didn't seem to understand. I wasn't going to push it though.

"Yes, I understand." I replied, my head spinning. What was I going to do? Was I ever going to escape? I couldn't hunt anybody here – I didn't even like the idea of hunting! It was kind of a bad idea for me, drinking a human's blood repulsed me more then anybody would ever know. I wondered if that would do enough to kill me. A thought crashed into my mind. "But aren't I supposed to get people that are not within the boundaries of the city?"

Heidi looked shocked for a moment before her face turned to stone. She rolled her eyes and laughed bitterly. "Stop sucking up to people, okay Isabella? Honestly, who told you that? There is no possible way you could have known that without somebody telling you. Was it Victoria or Gianna or your lover Edward? Hmm. You don't have to be shy Isabella, just tell me who told you." I blinked a couple of times, waiting for this to be over. Should I give up easily and tell her that somebody else told me, or should I just admit that I had a dream?

"I don't know, I guess it was Edward." I muttered, shaking my foot impatiently. She was supposed to teach me what to do, not play twenty questions with me. I looked up at her and tilted my head to the side. There was a knock at the door as Heidi hissed a 'come in' to the person on the other side. Demetri. I had really been dreading meeting him, I remembered vaguely in my dream he had been a tracker. Why was I so caught up with my dream? Because I kept finding out that more and more of it was reality.

"You know Isabella, don't you Demetri?" She questioned lividly and Demetri nodded before saying a quick 'hello' to me before turning to Heidi and talking to her quietly. Even though they thought I couldn't hear them, they were wrong. I heard small snippets of their conversation, not bothering to listen close enough. I stared at the wall and then at the dresser, hoping to find something that would hold my attention while I waited. " Isabella," Heidi hissed and I snapped out of my trance. "It's time."

"It's time…? Time for what?" I questioned and Heidi rolled her eyes before turning back to Demetri, questioning what the heck Aro wanted with me. I wasn't good enough to do anything with the Volturi, so why had he picked me? _Get in line __Heidi__; I've been wondering that all day._ I thought to myself unpleasantly. "Well, are you going to tell me what it's time for or not Heidi?"

"Patience Isabella. Just follow me." Heidi instructed and I stood up, walking over to her and moving out the door with her. Demetri followed quickly behind us. Our footsteps made no noise and I was glad for the silence, if there was something I needed to do, then I might as well do it to block out my thoughts. It was hard to think about Edward and Jacob and Alice and Jasper when I was doing something that called for my thoughts. I wondered if running away was an option here, probably not because the Volturi would just hunt me down again. We ended up in the entrance to the passage that they lived in. Gianna smiled happily at me and I smiled tentatively back. "Gianna," Heidi said lightly. "Tell Miss Isabella Swan what time it is."

Gianna's smile weakened, but it was still clearly there. I glanced at her, waiting for her to speak. She hesitated for a moment before turning towards me. " Isabella," she pronounced and I shivered at the déjà vu I was feeling. "It's time for you to go and get some people for them. It's time for them to eat." I gasped at her words and her eyes softened.

"But—but I just got here." I stuttered and Heidi rolled her eyes as she walked over to me. "I don't know anything about being bait or anything! Why now?"

"Don't you ever get hungry Isabella?" Heidi questioned as she moved in closer. "All you have to do is look appealing to the humans. You just have to lead them here and we will do the rest. That's all you have to do. Offer them a tour of this place and use your imagination to what it looks like. Tell them that it's a private tour and that it's a once in a life-time chance." She grinned as she backed away from me. "I have to go talk to Aro, Marcus, and Caius. The people better be here by the time I get back. Jane might come with you, if she has the time. Have fun Isabella and stop worrying so much." Demetri smirked and soon followed after Heidi.

Gianna shuffled some papers together and looked back at me. "Don't worry Bella," I gasped at her words, I didn't know that she knew I wanted to be called Bella. She smiled reassuringly and stood up from her desk. "Things will get easier and you will get used to the way they live, even if it is not the way that you want to live."

"Aren't you scared?" I croaked and Gianna laughed before leaning back against her desk. She sighed and looked back at me. Wasn't she scared? What if they wanted to eat her for a change? Didn't she get anxious around all of the vampires around here? Did she even have a clue what was going on behind closed doors? "Are you Gianna?"

"Well, I guess that I'm not really scared anymore. I know that it is a possibility that they could kill me, but I hope that one day…" She trailed off and sighed. I waited for her to continue. She looked up at me and I urged her with my eyes to go on. I wasn't that happy about going on this little trip to lure people in. "I hope that one day I can be one of you guys. But I know that Aro or Marcus or Caius will never allow it and Heidi would be furious! She hates the fact that I'm even here!"

That sounded slightly familiar to me. Rosalie hated the idea of me being around. She rarely talked to me or even tried to make conversation. I sighed just thinking about the Cullens. I did wonder where eternity had taken Rosalie; I hadn't seen her for months. "You know, I don't think that you want to be in this life," oh no, I was sounding like Edward. "It's not really that great Gianna, you should probably enjoy your human life." Dammit, just stop Bella, just stop.

She looked kind of shocked, but she remained with a small smile upon her face. "I guess you can say that Bella, but I can't. You're already in the life that I've always wanted. It's just hard because it's everything that I've wanted; I've wanted to be a vampire for as long as they have had me here for. It just seems so interesting and I just want to experience it. You can understand that Bella, can't you?" She looked at her watch and frowned. "You should get going, I'm sorry for taking up your time, Heidi will be back soon and she's expecting people here when she gets back. I wouldn't want you to face her so, you better go."

I nodded unhappily as I turned to walk out of the building. What if I ran? Would they come after me – of course the answer was _yes_. They needed me for something, if not Heidi would have destroyed me already. It wasn't as stupid and simple as bait, they wanted me for something else and I wondered what it was. I walked out into the streets, noticing that it was dark outside. Thank-god, I probably would have shimmered and scared the people that were slowly milling around the square. Déjà vu was killing me. I remembered that in my dream I had been running across the square towards Edward. The line between dream and reality was blurring and it was hard to tell what was real and what wasn't. I shook my head. There was no time to dwell on this. I had to get out of the city. I walked stealthily towards the exit and climbed quickly over the wall, not wanting to be noticed. I knew that there was a town next to here where there might be some lone tourists that were just waiting around. I ran quickly and then stopped and turned around. I could still see the city. I did find some strangers lurking around the surroundings and I saw them stare in awe at the city. I grinned – not knowing what came over me – and told them about the small tour that we were doing, if they were willing to walk to the city, I could get them in. They smiled grateful and soon I had a group of fifteen people – five couples of two, one lone person, and one family of four – walking towards the city with me. A little boy moved towards me and I cringed at the thought that he was going to be taken.

"My name's Jordan." He cooed and I tilted my head to the side. He looked no older then four. I cringed again, not wanting to be the reason of his death. _Just do your job, just do your job Bella,_ oh god I couldn't do this. I couldn't let him be taken. If I just told the family of four to leave, I could probably get somebody else. "What's your name?" Jordan questioned and I shrugged, trying to regain my thoughts. "Everybody has a name silly!"

_Silly Bella. Where did you get the thought that you could do this? You can't do this and if this little boy's corpse is the last thing you see, you will_ know_ that it was your fault that he died and you will regret it for the rest of time! _My inner voice screeched and I nodded. I couldn't let this boy die. I stopped and ushered the three couples to keep going. We weren't far from the city. I turned to the family of four. "I don't think that you should come with us. It's a very complex tour and it will be hard for little kids to go through the tour with us." Wow, that almost sounded believable. I watched as the man turned out-raged.

"Jordan wants to go on the tour Miss, so we're going to go." The man said and I shivered, looking back to the three couples that were taking pictures of the city. "We have nowhere else to go and I really think that Jordan wants to see this place, don't you Jordan?" The woman looked absolutely frightened now, as if she could tell that something was wrong with me. Jordan screamed a big, 'yeah' before settling down on the ground.

"Honey," the woman interjected. "If this nice young lady thinks it better for the kids not to go on the tour, then we won't go. I don't think that we should go against her judgment Ronald, she knows best." The woman said and I threw her a grateful smile. The father raised an eye-brow at his wife before sighing in defeat.

"I guess that we'll just have to go back to the hotel." _Thank god! Thank god! I would be forever grateful if that's just what they did. _He scowled at me, "but I am not happy about this and I will let your tour group know that I am not happy about this! Jordan wanted to go and he's a harmless little child and you won't let him go after all the things that you told us—"

"Ronald, just stop right there. Its okay, we'll find something else that Jordan likes. You know how he is with his attention span. He would have lost interest the moment that we were there." The woman said quickly and shifted the two-year old girl on her hip to the other hip. She smiled sweetly to me before ushering the rest of her family to go along before. The man glared at me before taking his son and walking off. She looked at me then behind me and frowned, but still her words were sincere. "Thank you." She whispered before turning on her heels and walking away.

"You shouldn't be thanking me." I whispered after her and then turned to the rest of the couples. Eleven would be a good number, wouldn't it? Two little kids were nothing to the rest of the vampires. "Alright everybody, sorry about the little inconvenience, something came up and they had to leave unexpectedly. Now, if you would follow me…"

* * *

I sat down on the couch and held my head in my hands. I couldn't believe that I had just done that. After a couple minutes of mentally debating in my mind, I finally let the people go inside. Gianna smiled and ushered them into the main room where Heidi, Felix, Jane, Caius, Marcus, Demetri, Victoria, and Aro were waiting. Gianna sat down next to me after the doors had been closed and the screaming started. She patted my back tentatively, although I knew that she was scared that I would pounce on her. "It's going to get easier Bella," she cooed, "don't you worry, you will get used to this sooner or later."

Would I really get used to the pain and the terror? Would I get used to the screaming and the utter pain that was obvious? I didn't understand, how could I do that to all those people? All those humans? Gianna sighed next to me. "I don't think that I will ever get used to that Gianna, it's just too much for me." She sighed again and leaned back into the couch as Victoria pushed her head through the door.

"Hey Isabella, do you want one?" She questioned and I winced in terror. No! No I did not want one! I _never_ wanted to kill a human. I was never going to do that. I couldn't believe that she had just asked me that. I blinked at her and then shook my head fiercely, making sure that she got the message. She shrugged and retaliated into the main room where a scream was heard. She muttered a short, "suit yourself," before disappearing. Gianna rubbed my back once more.

"Don't mind her Bella; she's always been sort of a tease. She knows that you don't like what they're doing and yet she still talks to you about it. It's a pain, but you'll get used to it. You'll get used to all of this sooner or later." I was sick of hearing her say that, but I was glad that she had befriended me. I sat there listening to her breathing and I knew that even though she envied me, it was I who envied her. We sat in a comfortable silence, neither one of us moving until Heidi and Jane emerged from the room. Heidi smirked at the sight of Gianna and me together and sat down besides Gianna. Her eyes were more inviting then before. "I'll be going. I'll see you later Bella." Gianna said before standing up and walking away towards her desk. She disappeared down the hallway.

"Somebody has come for you Isabella, I didn't know that you actually told somebody where to find you, but we will just have to deal with him." Heidi said quickly and I blinked clearly confused. Suddenly I wasn't depressed anymore, sulking about what I had just done. I was standing and I noticed that this was because of Heidi. She had pulled me to my feet, clearly annoyed at how bad I was turning out to be. "What are you doing here?" She spat out at the new visitor. It was a guy that was all I could see. The figure was tall and dark.

"I'm here for her, so if you would give her to me, then _we_ won't have to do something that would end up in a fight." A familiar voice reached my ears and I almost ran in joy. Jacob. Oh my god, Jacob was here to save me. Thank god, I didn't think that I could deal with the Volturi any longer. Jacob stopped in front of us and smiled slightly as I smiled back at him. "Bella's coming back with me." He demanded.

Heidi placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. "Stop being so cocky werewolf. She is not going anywhere, you know we need her and when we need something, we're not just going to give her up." Heidi drawled and Jacob rolled his eyes. I noticed that there were figures in the background. It was probably Sam and the rest of the gang. Joy soared through my body, I would no longer have to be the bait if Jacob and Sam finished the Volturi then I would have no trouble anymore… too bad things are _never_ what they seem. It would be hard for Jacob and Sam and the rest of the group to take on the whole Volturi, I didn't know if they could take it. " Isabella, you know that if you even think of leaving with _them_, we will have to come and get you, don't you?"

I nodded unpleasantly. I knew, I knew that I would have to stay here, but just the thought of leaving made me happy once more. Jacob snarled and I looked over at him, pleading in my mind that he would just turn around and leave so that nothing would happen. "I know Heidi, I know." I whispered and Heidi rolled her eyes. We both turned around to Aro, Marcus, and Caius. Jane, Felix, and Demetri stood in the shadows.

"Well if it isn't Jacob Black, the big bad werewolf!" Jane cackled over her breath, probably to Felix and Demetri, although I could hear her from over here. I glared at her, but she didn't seem to catch on. "What do you think he's going to do? There isn't much he _can_ do since Isabella already agreed to become one of us."

"You're right." Felix agreed and I shivered. So once you were a Volturi, you were never going to get out if it. Why hadn't I known that before? "Unless Isabella sacrifices something, maybe Aro would go soft and let her return to wherever she came from. I don't really think that we need her _that much_. But Aro keeps insisting that we need her because of something that's going on in—"

"That is enough Felix!" Aro shouted and turned his head slightly to look at Felix, Jane, and Demetri. Demetri stood motionless, not even moving a muscle as Aro continued to talk to them. "We will tell Isabella what we need her for when it is the right time. Right now, is not the right time for that." Aro stated and moved over to Heidi's side. I glanced at him and then back at Jacob, if they were going to attack him, I was going to throw myself in the middle of the fight or worse. "What is your business werewolf?"

Jacob growled and I held up a hand to him, motioning to him to stop. He looked at me and slunk away slightly. He glared at the rest of the Volturi. "I need to talk to Bella and I don't care what you guys do to me, I'm going to talk to her whether you like it or not." He scoffed confidently. I winced at how confident he was. What would happen if they found it rude and started to attack him? I was pretty sure that I could not take that at all.

"Fine," Aro ordered. "As long as Bella decides that she wants to talk to you also." They all turned towards me. I gulped; of course I wanted to talk to my best friend Jacob! Why wasn't I moving then? "Well then Bella… what do you want? You have to make a decision." _Make your decision and don't you dare think twice._ I inhaled sharply and walked over to Jacob, standing a couple feet apart. "You have five minutes."

They all departed from the room, even the figures in the background. I glanced around, making sure that the coast was clear. " Jacob! What are you doing here? You know that this is dangerous for you and yet you still came! What were you thinking? You could get yourself killed here or even worse! Do you know what would happen to me if something happened to you? You're my best friend and I know that you're just trying to look after me and all, but I'm okay Jacob, this is what I wanted—"

"It's not what you wanted Bella, you're just saying that so you can protect _us_. Including the Cullens." Jacob snarled again and I clenched my fists at my sides. Why wouldn't he just leave? If he left, he would be safe and then I wouldn't have to think about the Volturi hurting him. It would destroy me to pieces if something happened to him. He was my best friend and I wanted _nothing_ at all to happen to him. I would do anything in my power to stop them. "Bella, come with me." Jacob urged.

"I—I can't Jacob, I have to stay here." I whispered and looked down at the ground, the tiles suddenly catching my interest. Jacob reached out and forced my chin upwards, making me stare at him. I winced as I saw the anger in his eyes. "This is for the best Jacob and it's not what you think. I'm doing this because I _want _too, not because I want to protect you." I lied through my clenched teeth and he rolled his eyes.

"You're going to come with me Bella." Jacob demanded and I shook my head fiercely, his hand still touching my chin, holding it in place so I couldn't look down. "This is not where you belong Bella, you belong back in Forks with me and Sam and Emily and all the rest of the group. We don't care if you're a vampire Bella, _I_ don't care that you're a vampire. You would still be the same Bella that I fell in love with even if you were an alien from another planet!" I groaned and forced his hand off of my chin. He was making this harder then I thought.

I closed my eyes, hoping that the image of Jacob would fade away and I would wake up dreaming. I shook my head and opened my eyes, but all I found were Jacob's angry eyes starring back at me. This wasn't a dream, this was reality. "I don't belong with you guys anymore. I don't think that I ever did." I confessed and he stepped forward as I took a step back. "You are the one that doesn't belong here Jacob." He flinched and I knew I had said that wrong thing. I wished I could have taken it back, but it was the right thing to do. I wasn't going to allow Jacob to get hurt over me. That would be stupid and selfish to make Jacob stay or to even try to run away with him. It would be hurting both of us. It was better this way.

"Is this because of _Cullen_, Bella? Is this why you're saying these things and blowing me off like our friendship never mattered? Is that what it is, because if that's it, then just say it now." I was appalled, no! It wasn't because Edward was back; it was because this was better for both of us. I could protect him and everybody else I loved while the Volturi did whatever they wanted to me. My life hardly meant anything anymore. "Bella…" Jacob warned and I saw him shaking violently.

"No! No it is not because of Edward, Jacob. It's because I want to do this. Now go, go before something happens. You do not _belong_ here." I whispered harshly and turned my back on him, hoping that he would not see me lying. I waited a couple of seconds, my thoughts rushing. I heard the soft murmur of voices and then I heard the footsteps stop. I could sense that Jacob was looking at my back.

"Don't worry Bells; we'll be back for you." He whispered he had seen me lying. He knew me better then all of this and yet I still blew him off. _This is for the best, this is for the best, this is for the best…_ I kept repeating the same phrase in my mind, knowing that it was not for the best because I had just lost an important part of my life. But then again, he had already told me that we were no longer going to be best friends, so why had he come? Where were Edward, Alice, and Jasper? Could it be possibly true that they didn't care for me enough to actually come and look for me? It wasn't like I wanted them too, it was just… I couldn't even explain it.

I knew two facts for sure. The Volturi had something planned for me and it didn't look that good. The second was that Jacob wanted me to go away with him even though I was an enemy of his race, but what did I really want? I didn't want anybody I loved to get hurt, _but_ I knew that I didn't want to stay with the Volturi. I returned to my seat on the couch. I looked up even before the next visitor had spoken. When would this end? I starred at them and clenched my teeth. "How did you find me?"

_End of Chapter 6 _

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**Ending Note: If anything is confusing or wrong, please tell me. I won't be mean about it; I would really like to know! Thanks for sticking with us and we will update as soon as possible! **

**Review please!**


	7. Chapter 7

Waxing Crescent

Summary: (Set during New Moon) What if Bella had really been dreaming about the return of Edward and Alice and going to Italy? What if Jacob had been there to take Bella cliff diving? How would it alter her life?

**Authors Note: Hey everybody! So I found the internet at the place that I'm staying at and so I decided to update. Guess what I forgot to tell you all! THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER! The story is over after this, well except for maybe a sequel a little later. The pairing is final. I know, sorry about the short story, but it was only meant to be nine chapters and so I cut it down to seven! Sorry about that and I hope you like the ending! ENJOY!**

**Thanks to everybody who reviewed, you guys really made a difference to me!**

**Co-writer and editor: Summer's Sun**

**Disclaimer: We do not own anything.**

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_Chapter 7_

The question echoed throughout the empty hallways. She moved her hair over her shoulder and sighed before sitting down next to me. I looked up at her other two companions and shook my head, moving out of her reach. "You shouldn't be here," I said quickly and moved the farthest I could away from her without getting up off of the couch. "You know you shouldn't be here either and yet, you still stand before me."

Alice shifted her weight and then moved her eyes back and forth between me and the doorway where the rest of the Volturi waited. They probably weren't coming out because of all of this. I looked at them and waited. "Bella, you didn't expect us not to come, did you? We love you Bella and we're not going to let you become something that you're not." Alice said quickly and I shook my head again.

"You didn't answer my question." I hissed and Alice looked slightly taken back. I didn't want them here if the Volturi were going to do something to them. I didn't like the thought of them getting hurt. "How did you find me?" I asked again and Alice's mouth turned into a hard thin line.

"We followed Jacob, he seemed to know where you were and since my visions were cloudy and we couldn't smell your scent anymore, it was harder to find you until Jacob led us here." Alice explained and I nodded. "But Bella, you did expect us to come, didn't you? We wouldn't just leave you here to rot and die." She stated and I nodded numbly.

"I don't want you guys to get hurt," I confessed and Alice moved towards, Edward and Jasper staying where they were. I met Edward's eyes and had to look away. It was too painful to look towards him; I knew what he was thinking. "I don't want anything to happen to you. This is why I did this and also because I knew that I couldn't hide from the Volturi forever Alice, you know that. They would have found me somewhere along the line."

"But you wouldn't have to run away from us to protect us. We could have taken them on," she said confidently, knowing that the Volturi were listening in on our conversation. "Bella, we would never let you get hurt, so why did you leave? You are in so much danger here! Bella you can't just stay here and give up everything for—"

I covered my ears, not wanting to hear what Alice would say even though I knew it was true. I couldn't stand it right now. It was probably something that I would never like to hear. It was I who didn't belong here and they knew it. Jacob knew it. Everybody knew it except me. Well I had known, but I had tried to avoid thinking about it. "Stop, I know that I don't belong here, but I don't want anything to happen to you guys. You don't know how bad that would hurt to have to live on my own for eternity if something happened to you guys."

"True," Edward interjected and fluidly moved over towards us, sitting down next to me and pulling me towards him. "But Bella, nothing would happen to us. You worry too much, you worry all the time and this time you're worrying about nothing." He assured me and wrapped an arm around my waist.

I didn't protest, I had been missing Edward ever since I had made this decision. It had only been a couple of days or so since I had last seen him – maybe only one day – and suddenly he was back with me. After months of waiting for him, he was the one coming to look for me. "You don't know that," I accused, "something could happen to you and then I would have to live on my own forever and ever and ever…" Edward placed a cold hand against my lips.

"Don't even say that Isabella Marie Swan." Edward said sternly. I rolled my eyes at my full name, which I should have been used too. "You're being unreasonable," that wasn't the first time I had heard that before. "You know that nothing would happen to us, I wouldn't let you live on your own for eternity."

I buried my head into his neck, not caring that Jasper and Alice and the whole Volturi was listening and probably knew what was going through my mind. I just wanted to disappear into the floor. I had done so many bad things, why should I get Edward at all? "I believe you Edward, but you know that you can't assure me that. You can't just say it and make it happen. It could happen all of a sudden that I would never see it coming. Nobody would see it coming." I muttered against his neck, mentioning Alice. I felt the couch move beneath me and I turned my head from his neck. Alice was standing in front of us.

"Isabella," she greeted me firmly. "We promise to never leave you alone for the rest of eternity. We have lived for hundreds of years Bella! What makes you think that we would all of a sudden disappear from the face of the Earth?" I could think of many things to say. I opened my mouth and Alice frowned.

"Because you already left me once. You disappeared from the face of my Earth. That's why I can't believe that you're here and that you're actually trying to get me from joining the Volturi." I whispered the last part, hoping that the Volturi wasn't listening too closely. Alice's frown became deeper, she moved towards us, but stopped once the main doors opened. Victoria emerged from the room.

"Isabella, you know that this is clearly unacceptable. They are not meant to be here and you can't plan on leaving! Once you have joined the Volturi, you cannot just leave it. You have to be a member for life." Victoria announced with a smirk on her face. She looked behind her and Aro nodded to her. "It is a rule; if you don't comply there will be consequences. Either way, we will have to do a sacrifice." Oh my god. Oh my god. If I didn't stay with the Volturi I would be killed, if I stayed then Edward, Alice, and Jasper might get in trouble. What to choose? What to choose? What to think? My mind was racing with thoughts, I was very confused.

Edward stiffened underneath my arms. I had forgotten that he was there and I was depending on him to keep me steady. I realized that this wasn't really where I wanted to be, but if it meant keeping the Cullens safe, then I would do it for them. "Victoria," he greeted his voice fierce. "You should just let her go; she has done nothing to you."

"We need her Cullen, just stay out of it. It is Bella's decision. She has to decide what she wants to do. If she really wants to give herself up for you guys then that's her choice. But she has to decide." Victoria said quickly and I closed my eyes. Make you decision Bella. Everybody wanted me to decide, but it was much harder then everybody thought! I couldn't pick Edward over Jacob or Jacob or Edward because I loved them both. I couldn't pick to live and Edward and Alice and Jasper would suffer for it or to die and then Edward and Alice and Jasper would live, but would probably not forgive me for doing this. I couldn't decide, I just couldn't!

"I—I have to think." I stuttered and pulled myself quickly out of Edward's arms. "Alice, I need your cell-phone please." She looked at me, her eyes wide and then she reached into her pocket and grabbed her cell-phone. She handed it to me and I stalked off, in the direction of my room. "I'll be right back." I announced and walked into my room. I sat there for a moment, thinking about what to do. I would call Carlisle and I would ask him what he did to get away from the Volturi.

The phone was ringing. I held it close to my ear, waiting for Carlisle to answer. I waited, my breathing becoming ragged as I realized what I had to do. I had to decide on two things. Life or death and Jacob or Edward. It might have seemed clear to somebody else what they would do about Jacob or Edward, but Jacob coming to find me made me realize that I might be in love with Jacob Black and it scared me. I was so wrapped up in thinking that I didn't even realize that somebody was on the phone. "Bella, is that you?" Carlisle's voice rang in my ear. I smiled a small weak smile and sat down on my bed.

"Yes, Carlisle, it's me. I need a favor."

* * *

I clicked the phone off and stood up, inhaling sharply and moving out towards the door. I had to do this; I had to finish what I had started. I had to get out of the Volturi before we were all killed. I walked into the main room where Gianna had finally revealed herself. She was talking quietly to Jane and Heidi. The tension was visible everywhere. I hadn't noticed that the Cullens didn't like the Volturi; I had always thought that since Carlisle had been friends with the Volturi, they had all been friends. In my dream, there hadn't been such tension. But it had only been a dream. A figment of my imagination. I moved into the room and tried smiling. "I want to talk to the Volturi only." I said quickly and they all nodded. Edward moved to protest, but Alice rested a hand on his arm and nodded towards me. We all walked into the main room, where I hoped that the Cullens could not hear what I was about to say.

"What have you decided Isabella?" Aro questioned, his friendly aurora was gone now, and he became serious and stricken. I shivered at his tone. He had been so nice when I first met him, but now it seemed like it didn't matter. He wanted me to say, he needed me to stay and it seemed that I was walking out on him. "Isabella," he said impatiently, I had been too caught in my own thinking. "What are you going to do?"

"Well…" I drifted off, not quite sure how I should phrase what I was going to say next. "I don't want to stay," they all flinched at my words, but I wasn't done. "But I don't want to leave either." Again, they flinched, they wanted me to stay, they wanted me to want to stay with them and help them with whatever they wanted me to do. I looked at them helplessly and waited to see if they were going to kill me.

Heidi crossed her elegant legs in front of her and looked back at me. "Then what do you plan on doing Isabella, you cannot just walk out of here on a free ticket. You know that, don't you? You agreed to become one of us. You cannot just walk out of here not one of us." Heidi hissed and I nodded, I was quite aware of what was going to happen to me if I left here. I wouldn't even get to leave probably. Either way, something would happen.

"When would you need me?" I questioned suddenly and they all jerked in surprise. "I mean obviously you don't need me right now, you just want to use me as bait for a fill-in position. So tell me, what year will you need me? Let me live for that period of time with the Cullens and then I will return here to do whatever you want me to do. I promise." I explained and Aro raised an eye-brow in confusion at me.

"You're willing to work for us for the rest of time if you just have fifty years with your Cullens? You are willing to do all this because you want to be with them for the little time that you have left with them?" Aro questioned and I nodded. "I don't see what would be wrong with that, but Bella, how do we know that you will come back in fifty years time?" I bit my lip, I would come back, I had promised.

"I will come back, I promised that I would come back and if I don't come back, you could just come and get me. I'm sure that Demetri's tracker skills will become better in fifty years time." I said swiftly and Heidi gasped. She turned and whispered something to Victoria that sounded like: "how did she know that? First she knew about us only hunting humans outside the city's walls and now she knows about Demetri's tracker skills? What is she? A mind reader?" It wouldn't seem ironic if I actually was a mind reader. Then Edward and I would have a lot in common. "You can do whatever you want to do me when fifty years pass." I stated and Aro nodded, thinking it over. Marcus and Caius sat there, Aro touched their arms lightly and I knew what he was doing. He was reading their minds.

"Isabella, we don't usually do things like this." Aro finally said and inhaled deeply. "But since it means so much to you to be with the Cullens for fifty years, we are going to allow you to do that, as long as you stay under the supervision of my dear friend Carlisle and his wife Esme for the fifty years before returning here. You will be able to come back in fifty years, will you not? We won't have to worry about your werewolf friend or Edward Cullen coming to us looking for a fight with us, will we Isabella?"

I winced. I had no control over Edward and Jacob, but I had to decide and my decision would be made sooner or later. One of them would not argue with the Volturi in fifty years, one would be gone from my life forever. I had no idea if I could do this. "Yes, I promise that they won't come looking for a fight. I will come willing and there is nothing that they can do about it." I confirmed and Aro smiled brightly, his friendly aurora back to his ghostly features.

"Alright Isabella, if that is what you really want. If you don't come back in fifty years, Demetri will come looking for you as you already stated. We trust you Isabella; do not break our trust towards you over something stupid." Aro said quickly and smiled. "You may go now, return here in fifty years and all will be forgotten."

"I will," I said gratefully. "And thank you for this, it means a lot to me." Aro nodded before I turned around and walked out of the room. I knew that Heidi was starring at me and so were Jane, Felix, and Demetri who had been lurking in the corner. Marcus and Caius barely had any emotions in this anymore, but I didn't care. I didn't have to return for fifty years and I knew that that would go faster then I thought. I had fifty years to decide what I was going to do. I burst through the door, Gianna smiled at me and Alice and Edward, and Jasper all stood at my arrival. Jasper smiled soothingly and I rushed over to them, gathering them in a hug. I had no idea how long I would have with them anymore.

"Let's go," I breathed and they all looked at me, relieved about what had happened in the main room. They probably hadn't heard what I was going to do in fifty years, but I would inform them of it sooner or later. Gianna moved tentatively towards me and I took her into my arms. "Thank you for everything Gianna, hopefully I will see you when I get back." I said quickly and pulled away, she smiled at me and then waved and I knew what she was thinking. She hoped that she would see me again in fifty years also.

* * *

The airplane ride seemed to go by faster then I thought it actually would. I was surprised, but mostly Edward and I talked about nothing and I was glad to have him back with me. I had missed him over the months that he had left me. I shifted in my seat, so that my head was rested against Edward's shoulder. I didn't need to sleep, but I closed my eyes, feeling ready to drift off into dreamland. I had to spend every moment of my fifty years planned out and totally occupied by something. I had to make the most of my free time; I wasn't going to let a second go by without doing something that I would remember for the rest of my time. "Bella," Edward coaxed and kissed the top of my head. "What happened in there, why did they let you go?"

I kept my eyes closed, knowing that he wouldn't believe that I was asleep because vampires never went to sleep at all. I tried to ignore him, but he nudged me in the ribs gently. "I'll tell you soon Edward," I said softly, "I just don't want to talk about it right now." I whispered and tried to go back to writing down my whole days for fifty years. I had to go sky diving – which was a simple wish for everybody who only had a certain number of years free – and I would have to try and find Jacob… Oh my god! What happened to Jacob?! "Edward?!" I said panicky. "Where's Jacob, he came here looking for me and I told him to leave and he said that he would come back—"

"Shhh. Bella, he's alright. We contacted him and we talked it out and he's waiting to talk to you at your house. Charlie's really worried about you. He hasn't seen you for almost a week and Billy's trying to cover it up for you, but he's still worried and he wants to talk to you. So you'll have to think of something to tell him." He whispered with a slight chuckle. I nodded against his shoulder, loving the feeling that he was there for me. "Silly Bella, you worry too much."

"I have to worry Edward," my eyes were still closed, but I could feel his gaze on me. A slight smile tugged at my lips. "I have to worry about you and my best friend Jacob and Alice and Jasper and Emmett and Esme and Carlisle and Charlie and Billy and even Rosalie. I have to worry about all of you; it's the only thing that keeps me sane." I teased and he laughed again, it made my stomach flip, happy that he was back, but knowing that I still had to decide.

"You'll always be the same Bella. Worrying about everybody and still being as out-going as ever. That's why I love you though." He whispered the last part, knowing that I was listening. I nodded my head, not really knowing what to say. Don't get me wrong, I loved Edward a lot and I still loved him, but I wasn't sure because Jacob was my best friend and I knew that I couldn't have both of them. The treaty was still in action and it would be hard for Jacob to be around Edward and the other way around also.

"Me too…" I whispered, trying to fill the empty silence. A tap on my shoulder awoke me with a start. My eyes snapped open and I looked up at Alice who was smiling. I looked over at her and raised an eye-brow at her in question. "What is it Alice?" I questioned and she moved past Edward who was sitting in the aisle seat. She sat down on my lap, her weight not doing anything to me. "Alice," I was getting impatient. "What is it?"

"You know Bella, I was thinking about the Volturi and all during this flight with Jasper and all and then I was thinking like – whoa, Bella is not here with us. Then I got up, to prove that this was all a dream and then you were here! It was so déjà vu, but I thought that we went through something like this already. I must really be losing my mind and my visions." Alice smile weakened slightly.

"You're not losing your mind and you are definitely not losing your visions. You're just going through a tough part of your eternity, that's all." I said lightly and Alice hugged me tighter. I really couldn't believe that I was finally with them and we were happy. I wanted to save this time forever, I knew that when I got back, I would have to deal with Charlie and Renée and I would have to tell them that I was leaving and try to avoid the subject of my change and that I would also have to deal with Jacob. What do about Jacob? I tried to block the thoughts out of my mind. "I'm glad that you guys came actually, I'm glad that you came and saved me. I don't think that if you hadn't come I would be here. I would probably still be there with the Volturi and everybody." I said softly and Alice shook her head.

"We would never leave you again, Bella, honey. Once was a big mistake and now we're going to be here forever. You're stuck with us for the rest of time!" Alice teased and she smiled brightly at Edward who beamed back at her. My favorite crooked grin was on his beautiful face. Alice chatted on about how she should go back to Jasper, but she wanted to stay with me forever and other things that had changed. She talked about Emmett and Rosalie and how they had traveled to Africa for a little while then came back. Esme and Carlisle were still in the town where they had ended up where Carlisle was working at the local hospital. She also mentioned about how I was going to be stuck with them forever.

Well, not forever Alice. I thought to myself, I knew that Edward couldn't hear my thoughts. But fifty years would be enough? Wouldn't it? That was a question that I would probably never answer myself, but I would experience it in fifty years, how painful it would be to leave them. I nodded and smiled at Alice's story about what she had been doing and she had gotten to the part where she returned to Forks and went looking for me, noticing that my scent was no longer alive and was worried when a flight attendant asked for Alice to sit back in her seat. She pouted before shooting up off of my lap and kissing my cheek and skipping back to Jasper. Alice would always be Alice. I rested my head back on Edward's shoulder, who had been silent for most of Alice's story. "What are you thinking?" I asked suddenly and Edward chuckled before kissing my forehead.

"I'm thinking about you, of course Bella." Edward replied sweetly and I smiled, starring up at him. He knew what I was thinking. Why was he thinking about me? I had screwed up everything! "You think too low of yourself Bella, you're a wonderful woman and I would never trade you for anybody else. I think that you are certainly amazing, more amazing then anybody else in this whole wide world." Edward assured me and I nodded. He kissed my cheek, knowing that we weren't ready to move to the full of kissing stage. We weren't even sure that we were together again.

"You're a sweet-talker Edward," I said quickly. "You're good at this." A thought clicked into my mind and I smirked wrapping my arms around his waist and buried my head in his shoulder. "You're dazzling me Edward!" I whispered harshly and he laughed, resting his head against the top of my head, kissing my hair gently. My hair was pulled carelessly into a messy bun; I barely cared what I looked like anymore. As long as I was with the Cullens right now, I didn't care.

"I was wondering—" he smiled and kissed my hair again. I smiled and closed my eyes, waiting for him to finish whatever he was going to say. "—when you were going to say that. I actually thought that you forgot about that." He said solemnly and I nodded again, our old jokes were never forgotten. We didn't say anything else, we sat in a comfortable silence, Edward stroking my hair gently, whispering sweet nothings to me as we finally descended into Washington. Forks wasn't far from here and I knew that Charlie and Jacob were waiting for me – but Edward, Jasper, and Alice would be there for me along with the rest of the Cullens. I would be able to fall back on them, they would catch me, and they would always be there for me. I wasn't quite sure if I could say the same for Jacob.

Carlisle and Esme were waiting outside the terminal for us. Alice rushed towards her 'mother' and 'father' and tightly hugged both of them. Esme gave Edward and Jasper a hug quickly before turning towards me. I stood awkwardly in the background, not sure what she would think of me. "Welcome to the family Bella, darling." She greeted and hugged me tightly. "You have always been a part of this family though; I have always looked at you like my daughter." She whispered and I smiled gratefully and then turned to Carlisle. I hugged him tightly, grateful for all he did to me. If I could have produced tears, I would have.

"Thank you for everything." I whispered as I stayed in Carlisle's embrace. He nodded and whispered a quick: "it's nothing," before pulling away and smiling, kissing my cheek gently. I returned to Edward's arm, as Esme instructed us to go to different cars. Jasper and Alice would go with herself and Carlisle leaving Edward and I in a car alone. We gravitated towards the car, we talked about nothing really and I was glad that it wasn't a deep conversation. I probably couldn't handle it. I was going to have to go home and explain everything to Jacob and Charlie and finally make a decision. "Okay, so any questions you want to ask me?" I asked mysteriously.

"What do you mean?" Edward questioned and I smiled and raised an eye-brow suggesting that he should already know what I was talking about. It had been an old game a couple of months ago when we asked everything about each other that we wanted to know. We could ask and ask to our heart's desire. "Hmmm. Well I could ask you what the Volturi did when you said that you wanted to leave and what you did to allow them to let you go… but I don't think that you want to talk about it just yet, which makes me wonder what did you do? But you don't have to answer because it'll make you uncomfortable. Why didn't you come back?"

"Come back when?" I questioned and then it dawned on me when I left to go talk to Jacob and never came back. I sighed and frowned slightly, staring out at the road that was passing by too fast for my taste. Even though I had gone through the transformation, it didn't mean that I liked going fast anymore. "Well I went to talk to Jacob because I didn't want him to be worrying about me, we got into a fight and I left. He told me that I had to decide, I had to pick between you two and that I had to decide fast. I know that I had to chose, but my mind just wasn't straight then, so I totally left – I just left him standing there and it really sucked, but I went down to my house where Charlie was gone to work. Victoria was there and she did something weird that made me pass out. I didn't even know that vampires could pass out." I said quickly and Edward rested his hand on my thigh, interlocking his fingers with mine.

"They can't," he said and I looked at him slightly puzzled. If I hadn't been knocked out, then what had happened to me? "That's Victoria's special power. She can put you in a daze that will keep you out of her way until a certain period of time. It's something that we didn't know about until we got to face her once more. You weren't passed out Bella you were just in a daze." Edward explained and I nodded.

"Makes sense I guess. I didn't really think that vampires could pass out if they couldn't sleep either." I looked around and noticed that we were already at my house. I inhaled and furrowed my brow, how had we gotten here so fast? It was typical Edward to drive too fast for my taste. "Is he here Edward; is Jacob here waiting for me?" I asked and he nodded. This was going to be harder then I thought.

"He's waiting for you inside, Charlie is still out at work, so you'll have time to think of an excuse for him, but Jacob is here waiting for you. You'll be fine though Bella, Jacob's not planning on hurting you." Edward said and leaned forward, tenderly kissing my cheek and pushing me gently towards the door. "I won't leave your house; I just need to stay here for Jacob to talk to you. He won't talk to you if I'm there with you, now go Bella." He urged and I nodded. I pushed open the door and walked up the familiar stairs before pulling out the key from my pocket, and pushed open the door. Jacob was sitting at the kitchen table. I walked over there after shutting the door and sat down across from Jacob.

"Jacob, I'm really sorry about this, I don't know how this all happened. But I'm glad that you're safe and I just want you to know that I had made my decision. Are you alright? Did you get back from Italy okay? How is the rest of the gang? Just stop me at anytime, Jacob." I said quickly after I had finished my rambling. A small smirk was formed on Jacob's face. I nodded and waited for him to say anything. Anything that would alert me that he was alive and that he was still the same Jacob and the same person.

"I'm fine, Sam, Embry, Jared, Paul, and Emily are fine and we got back from Italy alright. Is that all your questions?" He asked and I nodded waiting for him to continue. "I kind of guessed, Bella, that you had made your decision when you shooed me away from you but welcomed the Cullens with open arms when we both came to save you. It was obvious, but I just wanted to make sure, that that was your final choice."

I looked down at my hands as I interlaced my fingers together. I had made my decision. I was going to stay with the Cullens, Edward knew it and Jacob knew it also. I was the only one who seemed to not know it… until now. "Yes, this is what I want, this is my final choice and I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you, but I just need to be with them. They can keep me safe Jacob, you hate my kind and I can't be around you if you are going to jump at me because of what I've become, I don't know if I can take that risk." I whispered and Jacob shook his head.

"I would never jump at you Bella; I would never be that kind of monster. I love you Bella and I will always love you, I just hope that you have made the right choice. I hope that you will not regret this after I'm gone. But I guess I can't blame you, my kind and your kind can't mix. We're enemies I guess." Jacob stood up, preparing himself to leave. I stood up also and reached towards him, but dropped my hand. He softened slightly. "It's better this way, isn't it Bella?"

"Yes, I guess that it is better this way Jacob. Its better that we go our separate ways. But do we have to be enemies Jacob? You were my best friend and I hate to think that this is how we are going to end it." I whispered my voice barely audible. He shook his head and leaned forward, giving me a chaste kiss to the cheek. "Jacob… what—?"

"Sorry I just wanted to do that one last time. I know that I'll never get a chance to do that again, so that's why I did it. I'm sorry Bella, from now on we're going to be enemies, but we won't do anything to harm you or the Cullens. The treaty though Bella, is still in play. I hope that you have a wonderful life." He added the end in bitterly. He turned around briskly and walked towards the door. I crumpled to the ground, watching as he walked out the door and he didn't turn back to look. He didn't even care. I didn't blame him, I had chosen Edward over Jacob and that was that. There was no going back now. I finally stood up and moved to my room, not sure how long I had been sitting on the ground. I didn't trip on the stairs, but I was too busy thinking to even notice that I didn't trip on the stairs. I moved towards my room and pushed open the door, Edward was awaiting me in my room. The lights were off in the room and I was too drained to do anything about it. I could still see his figure through the dark. He smiled; he was sitting in the corner of my room in the rocking chair. I sat down at the end of the bed. I smiled weakly back at him.

"So…" He said quietly and I looked up at him, waiting for him to continue. I nodded my head, indicating for him to go on. He rocked back and forth slowly, waiting for me to say something, but I didn't. We sat in the comfortable silence, watching as the time ticked by. Jasper and Alice and Carlisle and Esme were probably waiting for us at the Cullens old home, but we still sat there, time moving by slowly. "You picked me over Jacob." He said finally and I nodded, the words sticking in my throat. "Why?"

"Because," I started and I stood up. I had made my decision and I had realized why I had picked Edward over Jacob. "I love you more then anything in the world, isn't that enough?" I repeated my words from the year before when we had gone to prom. He nodded and smiled. I moved towards him tentatively. I had never been able to close the distance between us; it had always been Edward who closed the distance. Like the first time we kissed or when I was in the hospital last year or the time when Edward had finally returned to me. I hadn't even been able to close the distance between us in the woods when he decided that he was going to leave me. This time, I was bolder. I moved towards him and sat down on his lap, starring into his topaz eyes. I knew that there were troubles ahead; there was no way to dismiss the fact that I was leaving in fifty years time. I would have to explain it to him sooner or later and also I would have to explain it to the rest of my new family. Charlie was probably worried sick to his stomach about me and I would also have to take care of Renée. There was so much ahead of all of us, fifty years would bring joy and then after that would only bring heartache. That was a fact, that couldn't be pushed away. I would have to return to the Volturi and I was worried about it. But right now, our eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, the only light coming from the moon that was high up in the sky. I closed the distance between us, pressing my lips gently to his underneath the waxing crescent.

_The End_

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**Ending Note: So did you guys like the ending? Don't worry Jacob and Bella fans, in the next story, there will be more Jacob and Bella... if I make another story! So tell me what you think please and I hope that you enjoyed the story! Sorry if it was confusing or anything like that!**

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